


Everything for you

by GalaxyCrusher



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, Fix-It, Horcrux Hunting, M/M, Other, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:28:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26820661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyCrusher/pseuds/GalaxyCrusher
Summary: Alexander Mitchell lives his whole life wanting nothing more to disappear into a world of magic. When he dies, he's transported into the world of wizarding and is ready to save the characters he cherished and loved throughout the series. Will he be able to let Harry live out his childhood?
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Original Male Character(s), Harry Potter & Original Male Character(s), Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger & Original Male Character(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Ron Weasley & Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

_ “Alexander Mitchell! Get your ass down here and help us with the dishes!” _

_ Alex sighed at the voice of an annoyed mother. While he didn’t care for the work of cleaning dishes, he was currently busy finishing the last book of  _ Harry Potter.  _ By now he could recite the story backward considering how much he read the books. Alex flexed his fingers and legs, making way to stand up after sitting for hours. He stood up and laid the book back onto his desk before reaching down and grabbing his bag. Most likely after washing the dishes he would be sent to the grocery store to grab whatever Alex’s mother needed. Slinging the bag over Alex’s shoulders he rushed out the door and down the stairs before the angry voice could call for him again. _

_ “Sorry, mom, I had my earphones in and couldn’t hear you.” Alex reasoned. _

_ The slight glare from his mother went unnoticed as he headed towards the sink to clean the piling dishes. “Gosh, you take after your father! ‘I was busy Darling! I couldn’t hear you, Honey,’ It’s always the same with you boys!” Alex quickly tuned out the constant complaining and reviewed  _ Harry Potter  _ for what seemed like the fifth time today.  _

_ There was so much to digest about the story, the magic, the characters, everything! Alex wanted nothing more than to fall into the world of magic. But what could he do? Though Alex often didn’t want to admit it, he was extremely ordinary. While his love of the supernatural was larger than most, he averaged at everything else. Alex’s athletics, his memory, his grades, and even his looks all amounted to nothing more than the average 18-year-old. He had no special hobbies nor did he have the patience to try to stand out thinking if it got him nowhere.  _

_ Alex soon finished washing and placed the remaining dishes to set on the drying rack. He turned to see his mother raiding the fridge looking for something, most likely the thing he needed to get at the grocery store. _

_ “Alexander, go get some turkey meat from the store.” She slides a 10 dollar bill over the counter. Alex picks up the bill and turns to his mother. _

_ “Can I keep the change?”  _ _ She looked back from the standing position, then nodded, then took a beer from the refrigerator and hurried to the office. _

_ Alex never took the time to adjust his bag and set off. The shop is not far from his home, only 15 minutes away. He ran, determined to go in, buy meat, and then go out. If Alex spent more than 40 minutes, his mother would complain. Alex sped up his run, most likely not looking where he was going. The streets were small, how could he have known that cars could drive so fast? How could he have known that his drunk neighbor was racing down the neighborhood, not having a care in the world? Alex couldn’t have known, which is why the moment he ran into the barren crosswalk, he didn’t see nor hear t _ _ he blare of the neighbor’s car horn. He didn’t feel the pain of being hit by a car for too fast for its good. Alex didn’t hear the screams of terror from nearby bystanders. _

__

_ All he could think was, ‘I didn’t finish my book…’ It was a stupid thought, yes. But that was all he wanted in that single moment, a world of magic, a world where he could see people he understood more than himself, a world where he was  _ **_free._ **

__

**_\--------------------------------------------------------------------_ **

__

If you asked Alexander if he believed in the afterlife, he would most likely laugh in your face. He wasn’t a religious person, nor was he one to believe that any almighty god lay above the skies to smile upon his followers. If there was a god, he would only say two words.

__

“Fuck you”

__

If God truly cared about his followers, why do some of them die from cancer? Why do some become crazy and murder their loved ones? If God was truly in the sky, why didn’t he let Alex die? Where Alex laid was a mystery to himself. 

__

At first everything dark, as though he had fallen asleep and forgotten to open his eyes. Everything felt too cold, too hot, too real. It was as though Alex’s body was malfunctioning. The cold eventually won, and a chill ran down his spine. It was too many sensations for someone who clouded his mind from emotions and pain. When the light finally appeared, Alex ran to it. 

__

His eyes felt heavy for someone who was supposed to be dead. In a blur of a moment, Alex awoke and rushed to see himself placed on a dark green bed. It was too soft and too comfortable to be something from the hospital or something his mother bought him as a gift. Alex took notice of the small room he was in. It was about the same size as his regular bedroom but looked too regal to have anything be his. Everything was detailed, resting by a door frame stood a large cabinet with what looked like a vine design carved onto the door. Sitting by the bed was a desk drawer that looked untouched, not holding anything but a lamp that looked far too old for Alex to be using. 

__

_ ‘Where am I? I can’t be home neither can I be at the hospital.’  _ Alex thought. ‘ _ Perhaps I am in a dream _ ,’ he took some skin and pinched himself on his arm, wincing at the pain.  _ ‘Not a dream’.  _ Alex looked down at his arms and not only noticed that his hands were smaller than before, but a small blue dot was resting on the inside of his thumb. 

__

There could be only two explanations for what was happening and Alex preferred it be the latter. He could either be in the afterlife or he could have reincarnated. Both seemed ridiculous but it would explain everything, why else would his hands look as though they were children’s hands? Why else would he be in a strange room that looks like something out of a medieval castle? But before Alex could get excited, he needed to know who he was and where he was.

Alex shifted from the oversized bed and laid down his feet. The floor was covered in lush green carpets. In truth, the whole room was green. The more you look the more you see the room was teeming with green or just plants in general. The designs on the furniture were plants which only added the effect of a jungle. Alex crept to the door, he didn’t know who would be outside if he opened it. He slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. 

On the other side was a thin hallway that led to 2 doors and an open living room. There were a couple of windows that showed it was sunrise. Alex walked carefully down the hallway. The room had the same medieval design as the bedroom with the carved furniture and green layout.

_ ‘I’ll first need a mirror and then I’ll search the area to find where I am’  _

Alex stepped back and faced the two doorways, if he was a child then he would most likely have parents. One room would contain a bedroom, and the other would most likely be a bathroom. He opened the door on the right to see a small bathroom. It was lightly decorated, as though only a small child lived there and not a family of 3. Perhaps the people who lived here were divorced? Alex stepped towards the mirror and focused on the boy in the mirror.

Before Alex had scruffy dark brown hair that reached the bottom of his ears. He had wanted long hair but his mother hated it. ‘ _ Only girls have long hair!’  _ His eyes before were a simple brown color. Alex’s body structure was long and lean, his height reaching 5’8. When Alex looked in the mirror he didn’t see the familiar face of the man who he’d known since 18. All he saw was a child that looked around the age of 7. His hair was a dark black that reached down to the middle of his neck. He had blue eyes with tints of brown lining the edges. Alex immediately noticed the change in his facial structure like how his nose was smaller and his face was rounder. He looked… young. 

A large feeling of emotion overcame Alex as he stared at the strange face.  _ ‘Who am I’  _ Emotions that could be described as sadness or grief were overwhelming and were growing the longer Alex stared at himself. Alex told himself,  _ ‘Swallow it down…You can pity yourself once you find where you are’.  _ The emotions still stood in Alex’s stomach but he ignored them. Pulling himself away from the mirror, Alex walked out of the bathroom and back into the living room.

_ ‘Usually, they’re two routes reincarnation stories go, one which the reincarnate holds the memory of the person in the body before, or the other where the reincarnate walks through the story to regain those memories.’ _ Alex guessed it was the second option.  _ ‘If I look around I may be able to find clues to where I am! Worst case scenario I’m in the Purge universe’  _ Alex stepped closer to the abundance of bookshelves and looked through them.

‘History of Magic, Beginners Guide to Transfiguration, Advanced potion making… _ These all sound familiar.’  _ It was as though Alex’s mind was blocked, then it suddenly hit him, ‘ _ Where else would these books be but _ Harry Potter?’ Alex was in the world of Harry Potter! 

Alex had where he was figured out but now he needed to figure out who he was. Maybe nearby there were photographs of a family or documents of the family. Alex scanned the bookshelf  until he finally found what he needed, a Family Tree book! A friend of Alex’s had one that showed the history of their family. He carefully opened the book and scanned the first page. ‘ _ The History of the Avery Family’  _ Alex scrunched his brows.

_ ‘Avery? Why does that sound so familiar?’  _ Alex moved to the next page and looked at the spread out figure of a tree. At the very bottom was a boy named Alexander Avery. ‘ _ Is my name the same in this life? How convenient’  _ Alex looked at the very beginning, ancestors from years back were there. Two people caught Alex’s eye however that made him realize who he was.  _ ‘The original 28 Purebloods…Avery’s were apart of them but were believed to have died out or just had children with muggle-borns diluting their blood. I believe… Harry Potter mentioned the Averys twice. One boy was apart of Slughorns club meaning he was near Tom Riddle. If I remember correctly, the other boy was a friend of Severus Snape’  _ Alex cringes at the thought, if the boy was friend with Snape he wouldn’t be getting on his good side. ‘ _ The boy was a dark wizard who became a death eater when he graduated...Am I living with a death eater?’  _ Alex shuddered, if Purebloods treated their sons like how Lucius did to Draco Malfoy in the books then he wasn’t in for the good run. The Averys were one of few death eaters that got away in the trials. 

Alex stared back down at the book, he was most likely in the year 1988, three years before Harry Potter goes into Hogwarts. A sudden thought came to Alex, what if Alex could save everyone? Dumbledore, Snape, Hedwig, Fred, Dobby, Sirius, Remus, and tonks. He could save everyone! Alex could find the Horcruxes years before Harry does and destroy them so that no one dies! Alex would be able to interact with all of them! Alex was very optimistic when coming to terms with saving his favorite book characters. 

“Boy, what are you doing?” Alex jumped at the sound of dar voice behind him. He whipped his head around to see a pale, black-haired man that could only be described as his father. 

“I-I was looking at the family tree. It looked cool!” The panic shivered through his mind. What if he found out he wasn’t his son? What would he do? 

A gruff laugh escaped from the man as his stern expression turned amused. “You’re finally interested in our family huh? I’ll have you know our family goes back into the early 1900s.” 

“Ah…That’s amazing” Alex sighed in relief internally. He hasn’t noticed for now.

“Give me that book, I’ll show you a picture of your grandfather.”

“Yes sir!” No matter what, Alex would save the people. He would sacrifice everything for them.

  
  


  
  


_   
  
_

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

It had been a long 3 months since Alex came to the world of wizarding, but he quickly adapted to the lifestyle of the former body. The body was around age 8, meaning that he would be a 1st-year student with Harry Potter, it was a perfect chance to get near him! Living in Avery's home, Alex realized how detached pure-bloods were. 

To be exact, he wasn’t a pureblood. When he asked his father if he had a mother he explained the story, his mother was a “Mud-blood” who pretended to be a half-blood. His father, also known as William Avery, had been ‘tricked’ into marrying her and having Alex. William soon found out that his mother, who he had refused to name, had tricked him and left her to rot in the forest. Alex suspected there was more to the story since William was oddly hesitant to explain what he meant on the ‘leaving her in the forest’ part and how he refused to give other details. 

For the past three months, Alex would cozy up by the family-owned library he had been shown by his father. Alex had asked William about the lack of entertainment so he responded by showing the library which was hidden behind a dusty bookshelf in his father’s bedroom. His father would be home at the early peeks of 4 in the morning and come home at nearly midnight. For 12 hours a day, Alex woke up, ate, and read the books in the library, trying his best to understand the spells written in them. He didn’t have an official wand yet but the least he could do was memorize spells. 

Alex sighed as he placed the nearest book he had on the counter, while magic was fun on the outside, he couldn’t do the real thing until he started school since underaged magic was prohibited. At best he could try wandless magic since it didn’t require a wand nor could he be tracked but it wasn’t simple and needed a lot of concentration. Alex leaned back on the wall as he sighed, if he wanted Harry to enjoy the school years he would have to get rid of the Horcruxes. 

‘If I remember correctly there would be a total of 7, 8 if you counted Harry. There was the snake, Nagini, Tom Riddle’s Diary, Ravenclaw's Diadem, Marvolo’s Gaunt Ring, Voldemort himself, Salazar Slytherin's locket, and Helga’s Hufflepuff cup. Most of the items would only be attainable at Hogwarts, but as for the others…’ Alex quickly read through the list. He had no idea where Nagini was during the disappearance of Voldemort, it wasn’t mentioned in the books so it only appeared in theories. The Diary was at the Malfoy mansion which Lucious slipped into Ginny’s cauldron in the 2nd year. The diadem was found in the room of requirement, the gaunt ring was with Dumbledore at the beginning but then sealed away in the snitch only to be opened with magic words. The Slytherin locket was tricky, it was switched with a fake by Regulus Black and then hid in the Black family protected by Kreacher the house-elf. The Hufflepuff cup was safely hidden away in the Bellatrix vault and was cursed with a skin eating disease. ‘It seems I can only get three of the 7, the Hufflepuff cup, the diary, and the Locket. It won’t be easy though..’ 

Alex considered his options, to get the locket he would have to go to the Black family residence with Kreacher and the only way to get Kreacher's trust was to have some relation with the Blacks. The Malfoys most likely locked away the diary and it would be hard to sneak in… unless he didn’t sneak in? What if Alex happened to be introduced to the Malfoy family and happened to sneak around until he found the diary? Alex was already planning to get close to the Malfoy family, especially Draco Malfoy.

Draco Malfoy was the boy who turned into a death eater. The boy who worked against Harry Potter, but in a way, he didn’t. The boy who would yell mudblood at muggle-borns and harass others. Alex wanted to change that and it would be a perfect time while he was only 8. Alex hummed as he sat up and reached for the book again, Alex was determined for once in his life to fix something, so he would.

\--------------------------------------------------

It was an early Saturday morning when Alex woke up he headed to the kitchen for another quiet morning. He slipped out of his bed into the kitchen to see his father sitting at the table. He was wearing his casual robes with a dull expression on his face. The plate in front of him was empty with nothing more than a few scraps of crumbs.

“Is it your day off?” Alex’s voice seemed to startle the man as he looked up from the empty plate.

“Ah… Yes, it is, did you need something?” William Avery had started to notice some things about his son. He noticed that his son looked at him in the eyes, something he had avoided before. He noticed that his son spoke to him, even asking questions! He noticed lots of things, the odd crackle of amusement in his eyes as he stared at him, the small jokes he hinted at, even the area of intelligence that seemed to have appeared. The boy had turned into a mystery, a mystery that William had wished he had gotten to know before it appeared. He barely recognized his son! 

“Yes, I was reading up on our history…” William also noticed the new interest in books his son had. He assumed young boys his age would go outside and do what young boys did, but that isn’t what happened with him. It was almost as though he took after his mother, a woman he had refused to accept. “I noticed that we had connections to families like the Malfoys, I was wondering if they had any children I could be around?” The older Avery perked up. 

The Malfoys were an influential family that the Averys had connections with, though he didn’t have much connection with them since the trial...William had been informed that the Black girl had a son with Malfoy. The boy would be the same age as his son, what perfect timing! It would be a great way to get back in power with the 28, surely they would understand his situation? 

“Yes, in fact, the Malfoy family has a son around your age. His name is something along the lines of Drake. I’ll get in touch with them so that you boys can talk” William hummed at his genius thinking.

Alex smiled at the self-serving smirk his father gave himself. He understood the main trait of many death eaters. They all either craved power or were too scared to say otherwise. 

“That’s great! I was also wondering if I had any sort of allowance?” William nodded in acknowledgment. 

“Of course, young boys all need something to spend don’t they? I’ll give you 5 Galleons per month!” Alex nodded before turning away, a galleon was around 7 dollars in USA currency, which equaled $35 a month. Alex wanted to save up for the future in case anything “bad” happened. He figured that he wouldn’t be able to get all of the Horcruxes before Voldemorts’ resurrection, but he had around 6 years before that. Alex needed to do two things before going to Hogwarts, become friends with Draco Malfoy, and get rid of Bellatrix Lestrange. 

Bellatrix was the cause of so many deaths in the series and one of the most ruthless killers in the story. She had killed Dobby and Tonks, two characters that were important for Harry’s development. After she and the other death eaters escaped from Azkaban she wreaked havoc. There wasn’t any way to ‘get rid’ of Bellatrix without killing her, and Alex didn’t want to have blood on his hands. If Alex could somehow stop her from killing the others...The thought process was long and his brain soon ran out of ideas. He couldn’t reach Bellatrix until she escaped Azkaban AND he needed the Hufflepuff cup that was in her vault.

The best option he could do was try to break into the vault and wait till Beatrix gets out before she hurts anyone. Alex would have to figure out how to get into the Gringotts bank without getting caught and being trapped in there forever.   
\---------------------------------------

Alex waited by the couch for his father, he was ‘getting ready’ for the meeting with the Malfoys. Anxiety crept into his nerves, what if Draco didn’t like him? Would he already be mean at age 8? He tapped his fingers on the small book he carried around with him. It was a notebook that had everything he planned encased in it. He placed small lock and diversion spells which he had learned in his books. His wandless magic was improving every day and Alex assumed it was because he was somewhat of a patient person.

William walked through the door, fancy dress robes covered his body. He looked as though he was about to get ready. William had spent most of his salary on this specific robe, adorning it was silk and gems that would hopefully show the Malfoys that the Averys were still necessary. He had plans to discuss the Dark lord and hopefully gain intel about what he could do. 

“Well, hurry along boy, we don’t have all day.” William walked towards the fireplace holding a bag of what looked like sand. “You do know what Floo powder is yes?” Alex nodded and held out his hand as William grabbed a small handful and placed it there. William spread out the Floo powder and called out “Malfoy Mansion” before he disappeared into a ball of green dust. Alex followed after and shivered as the green spread. 

The sensations were horrid as Alex had coughed, he should have known using Floo powder would make you feel weird when using it for the first time. He looked up and around in the darkroom. There were three figures, his father was talking to an older man who sat in a brown armchair. The other figure was a small boy resting on the large couch. Alex walked towards his father, grabbing the ends of his shirt.

William looked down, “Here he is, this is my son, Alexander Avery” William placed his hand on the boys back and pushed towards the older Malfoy. His son blinked up at the man before grinning and holding out his hand. 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy, I’ve read a lot about you in my books.” At the sound of Alex’s voice, the boy on the couch widened his eyes before turning to his father. 

Lucious Malfoy heard a lot of rumors about the Avery family, some said that the family fled out of the country, others said that they hid away in their home. The biggest rumors, however, were of Avery’s son. ‘He was born with an illness,’ they commented. Many suspected the boy to be too ugly to be seen. Lots decided that the boy couldn’t talk, so many that it was common knowledge that the boy would be hidden away forever. What Lucious didn’t expect was a small, pale child who looked seemingly normal. He was further convinced when the boy spoke normally. Lucious didn’t know what he was expecting when the Avery family contacted him to go over ‘business’ and introduce each other’s family. He knew it was an excuse, William Avery was always a power-hungry man but he took the opportunity to see his notorious son with no mother. 

He hid away the surprise and looked down at the boy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Alexander. I’ve heard a lot about yourself from your father.”

Alex quickly scanned over the man, when he had watched the movies years ago he had taken notice of features in the story. He concluded that the characters would not look too similar to the movies after glancing at Lucious. Alex’s father soon brought the attention back to him before Alex turned to the boy on the couch staring curiously at him. 

Draco Malfoy had been warned by his father not to make any ‘harsh’ comments to the Avery boy. He heard lots of things about the Avery Family, especially the parts disabled boy.

“You being friends with the boy is a perfect opportunity to gain tolerance with...less attractive people”  
Looking at the boy staring at him with a small gleam of excitement cleared any unwavering suspicions about him. The kid looked like he wouldn’t hurt a fly! The youth walked over to him and held out his hand.

“I’m Alexander Avery, but you can just call me Alex,” Draco honestly didn’t know how to react. Was he supposed to smile and believe the innocent look Alex gave him? Or should he be cold to him and expect him to follow Draco around like a dog? He stared down at the open hand before tilting his head up and giving Alex a small smile of tenderness and taking his hand. Draco wanted to trust his instinct and make a friend.

\-------------------------------- [I apologize for the long time skip but I had no idea what to put here]

Draco regretted ever taking his hand, Alex was the definition of pain in the ass. It had been a long 2 years since he became friends with Alex and while he mostly enjoyed his interactions, the lad was very tiring. At first, he thought being friends with someone was a calm, nice experience but Alex proved that statement wrong. At random times he would find the lad doing wandless magic, mostly useful spells like Lumos, Accio, and even Reparo. Draco almost had a heart attack when he apparated into his room wandless. He had to be bribed with lots of candy to not tell his father about it. Alex did weird things like disappearing for days where not even his father could find him and then appearing a week later looking like he came out of a dumpster. 

Draco often caught him buying weird items like samples of a powerful venom, he was enormously surprised by the amount of money a small bottle cost. He once asked where he got the money and all Alex would do was reply with ‘I saved up’. Draco scoffed at that, the kid had an allowance of 5 gallons a month! Alex was a strange one, but in a way, Draco was glad he met him.

\-------------

Alex stretched himself across the small bench of a large wizarding park. It was a cloudy day but that didn’t mean it would hinder his plans too much. It was finally time to strike. For the past two years, he had acquaintanced himself with the goblins that worked at Gringotts and made sure to find out any loopholes in the vaults. The only two people who would break into Gringotts were Harry and Voldemort, both powerful wizards. He had tried to apparate into the vault, only to be dissuaded by a charm. Alex was very disappointed at the outcome since he had spent the majority of the first-year learning how to apparate without a wand. He supposed it would be worth it later in the year. Alex sat up from the bench and walked towards the direction of Gringotts. Today would be the day he got the cup! Adrenaline kicked in and soon the urge to puke was there. 

He arrived at the front of Gringotts, putting on a smile he burst through the door.   
“I’m back!” He called out. Other than a few stares from local wizards, the goblins paid no mind to the loud intruder. “Why hello, Ullig!” Alex skipped over to the grumpy Goblin. He was transporting a large stack of gold coins. The Goblin gave Alex a quick once-over before nodding and moving away. Alex smiled back and headed to the front where the receptionist was. 

“We do not appreciate the disturbance boy.” Alex stared up at a rough voice. It was today’s receptionist, Gargot. 

“Eh? I just want to hang out with you guys!” 

Gargot glared at the innocent expression of the boy. “Your kind is not needed here, leave before I get security.” Alex huffed.

“I’ll go, I’ll go. But I’m going to Hogwarts soon and you’ll miss me when I’m gone Gargot!” Alex grinned and stepped back, blending in with the crowd. 

Alex turned away not before muttering a disillusionment charm. His body quickly changed into the surrounding area, effectively camouflaging into the environment. Alex placed a hoodie over top of his head. He had at least 20 minutes to get into the vault before it wore off. He quickly went over to the treasure area. Most Goblins separated the treasures by how deep they were, and the Lestrange vault was at the bottom. He found a cart in the very back and situated himself near the middle. He covered himself with the surrounding gems and gold. After waiting for 5 minutes, he heard a voice. 

“Take this one to Vault 713, it’s the last batch before we completely shut down it,” Alex swore internally, he would have to leave as soon as he got the cup, not to mention the cup had the curse that burned and drowned others when you touched it. He stopped his movements when the cart suddenly started to move. 

Alex didn’t move an inch for 15 minutes, the adrenaline kicking in after every turn. The sudden halt kicked off all his instincts as he waited for any movements. Then, the cart turned over. He stumbled out of the cart of gems and quickly looked around. At the very top was a cup that looked a small resemblance to the movies. Alex turned to the Goblin as he counted the large Rubies. He tiptoed over the large pile and climbed up the small trinkets. 

‘I’m so close…’ He reached farther before finally grabbing the cup. ‘It burned, It burned’ the pain burned Alex’s hand while a multitude of cups spilled out from the one in his hand. Alex grimaced and held the cup steadily before running towards the cart. The shriek of the Goblin wasn’t a good sign. Alex reached around for his bag, it was small but he had placed an extension charm on it so that he could fit the cup. 

He reached the cart and kicked off. It peddled forward, while an alarm overhead blared. 

‘If only this could go faster’ Alex gritted his teeth as soon as the cart went up to the hill. He waited until he finally reached the top. He jumped off the cart before an onslaught of Goblins started looking around. He muttered another Disllusment spell and slipped into the crowd. He ran far before coming across the large park again. 

Alex slipped off his hoodie and sat down, taking a deep breath he looked at his bag. Alex had the first Horcrux.


	3. Chapter 3

Alex ticked off the list of supplies. He still needed his robes, wand, and maybe even a pet before he was fully prepared for Hogwarts. He turned to Draco who was glaring down at his pointed hat. 

“These things are bloody ridiculous! Not only are they ugly, but they’re just simply impracticable!” Alex laughed at his expression as they turned down the corner. 

“Are we heading to Madam Malkin? We still need our robes.” Draco looked up from his hat and nodded. 

“Madam Malkin is the best seamstress in Britain! Of course, we’re going there,” Alex chuckled again and pushed him slightly through the store’s door. 

“Hello, boys, Hogwarts robes for you?” The small woman questioned them as soon as they walked in. Alex gave a large nod and beamed to Draco as he inclined his head. “Alright, the blonde boy will come with me, you wait here.” At the lack of a formal attitude towards them, Draco grit his teeth in annoyance. I waved him off before sitting down on the small chair.

It had been at least 15 minutes before a small, brown-haired boy walked through the door. Alex glanced up and sat baffled. How could he forget the day Draco and Harry met! Harry wasn’t at all similar to the movies, he had green eyes and a more sunken facial structure. Alex assumed it was because of the lack of food the Dursleys gave him. He looked on the edge of keeling over, but the large sparkle in his eyes said otherwise. Harry turned to Alex, noticing the stare he had been giving. This was his chance! He stood up with a new-found excitement. 

“Hello! I’m Alexander Av-” He was cut off by a cough as Madam Malkin walked back in. She turned to Harry.

“Hogwarts, dear?” Harry nodded. “You’re in luck these two boys were getting theirs too.” Harry peeked back at the other boy and gave a shy smile. “Come on in, I’ll lead you two to the room.” She showed us to the back of the room where Draco was being fitted. 

I gave a small smile as Draco looked at the other boy. 

“Hello, Hogwarts too?” Harry nodded as he stood at one of the stools. Alex took his place next to Draco. 

“I suppose we won’t be able to visit the broom store can we Alex? It’s a darn shame first-years can’t have brooms” Alex chuckled.

“You keep saying that yet I beat you at Quidditch every time.” 

“I know you cheat somehow you little-” 

“What’s Quidditch?” Harry stared between the two boys, curiosity seeping in. Draco turned to the boy with shock. 

“You don’t know what Quidditch is? Are you perhaps a muggle-born?” Harry blinked slowly. Alex smacked him.

“If he didn’t know what Quidditch is, why would he know what a muggle-born is?” Alex sighed as he turned to Harry. “Quidditch is a wizarding sport that most wizards play for fun. It involves riding around on a broom while chasing and catching balls.” Harry nodded in mock understanding. 

“Do you have any idea what your house will be?” Draco adverts Alex’s attention to the question. The conversation was getting closer to the storyline every minute. Alex hums to himself.

“Perhaps I’ll be in Hufflepuff? Or Slytherin?” Draco frowns.

“Let’s hope you get into Slytherin then,” Alex put-on a face of mock anger.

“Hufflepuff is a great house!” Draco chuckles. There was a small knock on the window as Alex and Draco laughed. They turn to see a large man with a bushy beard holding two ice creams. 

“Who’s that?” Draco narrows his eyes. Harry turns towards the window.

“That’s Hagrid.”

“Hagrid, like the gamekeeper? You know him?” Alex turns excitedly towards Harry. He nods with a smile. 

“You two are done.” Madam Malkin walks back to the boys. 

“We’ll be seeing you later, I suppose?” Alex waves a quick goodbye to Harry, hurrying Draco out.

“Odd fellow, he seems quite scrawny,” Draco mutters to Alex. Alex shrugs.

“We don’t know who he is so we won’t know his situation.” Draco nods.

“We should have gotten his name…” 

\------------

Harry smiled as the two boys left, he figured the cold blonde-Haired boy was Draco while the friendly black-haired boy was Alex. They seemed to be good friends and it was enjoyable to watch them bicker. Perhaps Harry could be friends with them? He finished his robes and went out to say hello to tell Hagrid. After a quick rundown of what they talked about, Harry asked about houses.

“There the School Houses. Everyone says Hufflepuffs are a lot o’ duffers, but-”

“Alex didn’t seem like a duffer.” 

“Course some aren’t! Hufflepuffs can be quite naive. Very friendly and loyal people”

“What about Slytherin?”

“Ah…” Hagrid’s face darkened. “Slytherin’s haven’t had one witch or wizard that haven’t gone bad. You-know-who was one.”

“Vol-, sorry - You-know-Who was at Hogwarts?” 

“Years an’ years ago.”

\-------------

“Let’s get our wands before we go to the pet store.” Alex nudged Draco towards Ollivanders. Draco scowled. “Don’t make faces! Ollivander is a good guy.” Draco sighed before he walked in.

“Yes, yes. Draco Malfoy, your mother had Dragon Heartstring, 14 2/4 solid wand. And your father! Elmwood, Dragon heartstring, 18 inches.” Ollivander turns to Alex. “Avery! Your father had unicorn hair, 15 inches, and Pinewood. What a combination! Come here, come here.”

Ollivander made a gesture to Draco. Draco stepped forward as Ollivander gave him a wand. 

“13, Dragon heartstring, willow” Draco flicked it. Ollivander took it back. “11 ¾’, Alk, Unicorn Hair” Ollivander took it back almost immediately. “Curious… Hawthorn, 10’ Unicorn hair” Draco flicked the wand a small burst of light flickered out. Draco looked pleased. Ollivander turned to Alex, “I have the perfect wand for you! Pinewood with a phoenix feather core, 12 ¾" and solid flexibility.” Alex gave a small flick and a white light flicked back and forth. Alex grinned at Draco.

\------

“Come on Draco! You have enough for your owl!” “Absolutely not! I will not be picking up poop for some crummy animal!” 

“It’s not some crummy animal! We’ll just go in and go out!” 

“Fine! Get off me” Alex scowled as he slowly detached himself from Draco. “I see no point in going in, I already have an owl.”

“Well, I don’t want an owl! I want something cute like a cat or a toad!”

“A toad is cute?” Alex ignored him as he pushed open the door. 

Inside was a variety of animals, cats, rats, toads, and owls. Alex swiftly dragged along a bored Malfoy to the cat section. In a large cage were three cats, one was black-haired and green-eyed who watched Alex with a curious expression. The other was a blonde-haired cat that looked oddly like Draco. The last one was orange-haired with brown eyes. The orange one seemed too busy playing with a ball to even look at Alex. 

“I say you pick the blonde one, he seems very charming” Draco pointed at the fluffy blonde-haired cat who only yawned in response. Alex chuckled.

“I see why you picked him, He looks oddly lie you. Maybe I should name him Draco?”

“That would be confusing and unnecessary.”

“All the more reasons pick him.” Alex was smacked in response. He pouted slightly before turning to the orange cat who had stopped playing. “Well, aren’t you cute?” The cat pranced over to him. Alex reached out his hand while the cat nuzzled into it. “Draco! This one seems nice.” He scoffed.

“I have a bad feeling when I look at that cat, he reminds me of someone.” Alex chuckles. 

“I’ll go see how much for him.”

“You’re not even going to look at the other one?” Alex looks back at the green-eyed cat before shaking his head and moving to the cash register.

\-------------

Alex placed Salmon into the cage. He smiled down at the purring cat as he nuzzled the door of the cage. 

“I can’t believe you named your cat Salmon! Who names an animal after something they eat?”

“It’s my cat Draco, sides I think he likes the name.”“He would like you if you dropped him a ditch” Alex laughed and picked up the remaining bags. 

“Are you ready for Hogwarts?!”

“Is it too late to go to Durmstrang?” 

“Yup! Let’s head out to the train!” They headed towards 9 ¾ Platform. 

“A bunch of muggles! Did we have to go this way?” Draco scowled at the odd looks they got. 

“Now, now. It’s a new experience! Just think of it as future training with talking with Muggles.” They stopped in front of a platform, already scattered with red-haired children.

“Damn it, Avery! You’ve gotten us stuck with the Weasleys,” The red-haired children turned to see two boys behind them. 

“Hello, dears? Are you going to Hogwarts too?” A large woman with red-hair stepped forward. Alex gave her his best smile.

“Yes, Mrs. Weasley.” Draco narrowed his eyes. 

“I don’t see why we have to be nice to these blood-” Alex crushed Draco’s foot. “OW! Bloody hell, Alex! That hurt.” Molly watched the interaction silently.

“Ah, I know you!” She turned to Draco. “You’re Narcissa’s son! Draco Malfoy.” Draco grimaced but nodded anyway.

“Um, Hello?” A quiet voice appeared from behind. Alex turned to see Harry Potter! It was like fate! “I followed Alex here. Do you know where 9 ¾ Platform is?” 

“It’s you! The scrawny kid from the robe shop!” Draco yelled.

“Draco!” Alex stomped on his foot again. He turned back to Harry. “I was just about to go in!” 

“Go in?” 

There was a rustle behind them. “Come on boys! It’s time to get going!” Alex turned to see Molly lining up her children. “You first Percy.” The oldest looking boy towards the wall, dragging forward his cart. He disappeared as soon as he went in. “Fred, you next.” Two tall boys grinned at each other. 

“I’m not Fred, I’m George. Honestly, woman and you call yourself our mother.” Alex tuned out the rest of the conversation. He already knew what the rest of the conversation would turn out like. 

“I’ll show you how to get on the train.” I point to the twins heading in. “That wall separates us from the Hogwarts train. Just run through it, and don’t be nervous, then you’ll be there.” Harry nodded hesitantly. Alex turned to Molly who was rushing another boy. 

He was a little taller than the rest of the boys and had the signature red hair and freckles. 

“Are you all new? Well, how lucky Ron! You can already make some friends.” The red haired-boy stared at the three of the other boys. 

‘So he was Ron, the movies and books didn’t do him any justice.’ Alex smiled at Ron before heading towards the wall. “You go first!” Harry looked startled but went forward anyway.

There was a small cough from beside Alex, “And you say I’m bossy?” Alex scowls.

“He doesn’t know a thing, Malfoy, it’ll be faster if he goes ahead.” Ron stared at Draco from the beginning of their interaction. 

Harry closed his eyes and started to walk forward, soon going at a fast pace. He disappeared shortly after. Alex made a hand sign that told Molly and Ron to ahead. 

“We keep running into that kid, did we get his name yet?” Draco narrows his eyes at the plain wall.

“We can just ask him on the train, come on.” Alex maneuvers his cart towards the wall and presses forward. He takes and deep breath and runs forward. It felt like nothing as he passed by so it caught him off-guard. Alex slowed to a stop and wait for Draco.

Draco caught up quickly before he scowled at Alex. “What are you doing here? You should have gotten us a compartment.” Alex rolled his eyes.

“I’m sure you can sit with Crabbe and Goyle.” 

“Those two are as interesting as rocks.” Draco quickly walked forward. “The train leaves in 10 minutes, so hurry up.” 

“You’re the one that took forever!” 

“Whatever you say.” 

Draco spotted Crabbe and Goyle and then proceeded to call them over so that they could carry his stuff.

“Drop that stuff in the cargo area, will you? Come on Alex we’ll go find a seating area.”

“Are you going to let them sit with us?” 

“Course’ not. Let’s find a half-empty area before they find us.” Alex chuckled. 

Draco moved his head between carts before coming upon a half-empty area. Inside were two girls, one with regular brown and brown eyes speaking at two miles per hour. The other girl had a brown-type skin tone alongside glasses and black hair, she was smiling politely at the other girl before she finally noticed us. Draco glanced back at Alex before turning to the girls.

“You’re both first years right?” The brown-haired girl nodded. “My friend and I were wondering if we could sit with you.”

“I don’t mind, do you, Elena?” The black-haired girl asked the other, Elena, was it? She shook her head before gesturing at the seats. Alex took his seat next to the brown-haired one while Draco sat next to the black-haired. 

Draco cleared his throat, “I’m Draco Malfoy and this is Alex Avery.” Alex gave a friendly smile to the girls. One of the girls adjusted her glasses.

“I’m Nikhita Tara and this is Elena Harmon.” 

“Nice to meet you two!” Elena spoke up. Alex turned to her.

“Are you both first-years?” 

“Well, I am! I’m not sure about Nikhita though.” Draco raised an eyebrow.

“Did you two just meet?” They both nodded. 

“I am a first-year too.” Nikhita turned to Draco. “You?”

“We’re both first-years!” Alex stated. Elena turns back to Alex.

“Maybe we can all be in the same house!” Draco scoffed.

“Don’t’ count on it, this guy” Draco points an accusing finger towards Alex, “wants to be in Hufflepuff.” Elena makes a face of pure shock.

“What’s wrong with Hufflepuff?!” 

“Absolutely nothing! Draco just likes to be dramatic.” Alex glares at the amused smirk from Draco.   
“Well, I’m glad there is a fellow Hufflepuff here!” Elena claps her hands together with a large smile towards Alex. Alex smiles back. Draco turns to Nikhita.

“Please tell me you have a brain unlike these two?” Nikhita’s face flickers to amusement. 

“I’m hoping to be in Slytherin” 

“Finally someone with a brain!” In sync, Alex and Elena glare at him. 

Their chatter continues throughout the ride as Alex continued his journey towards Hogwarts.


	4. Chapter 4

“We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes’ time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.” A loud voice overhead voice echoed. 

“We’re almost there, Alex! I can’t wait!” Elena merrily said.

“What are you excited about? Now we have homework!” Alex responded with a small push. The train slowed and slowed before it came to a final halt.

Draco, Nikhita, Elena, and Alex all headed out of the train, herded along by the other years. They stepped out of a train onto a large, dark platform. Alex spotted a lamp and a large voice.

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here! All right there, Harry?” Hagrid’s voice boomed over the chatter. Alex quickly grabbed his friends and pointed them towards Hagrid. “C’mon, follow me - any more firs’ years? Mind yer step, now! Firs’ years follow me” 

They followed quietly after Hagrid, not a single person made a noise. Through a brook of thick trees, Hagrid finally started to talk.

“Yeh’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec, jus’ round this bend here.” Alex ignored the sudden ‘oohs’. 

The path had opened up to reveal a large mountain with what looked like a palace atop. Alex lay astonished for a moment before rubbing it off and stepping forward again. Alex could honestly say that the books and movies didn’t do justice to the castle. Just from a faraway distance, he noticed the towering pills with an overhead view of the starry sky. Alex finally realized something, ‘He was going to Hogwarts!’. It was funny that it never came to him before. 

“No more’n four to a boat” Alex focused back on Hagrid. He made a gesture to Draco to an empty boat. Elena quickly grabbed Nikhita’s hand who nodded in response. 

They situated themselves onto the boat with only a few complaints from Draco about his ‘Seasickness,’ and made themselves comfortable. Alex noticed another boat with 4 passengers. Inside was Harry, Ron, a small, frizzy-haired girl who Alex assumed was Hermione and a round-faced boy with blonde hair and buck-teeth. Alex’s gaze was found in green eyes. Harry’s small smile brought Alex’s smile to grow. Alex had found Harry to be cuter than described in the books. 

“Everyone in? Right then - FORWARD!” Hagrid called from a large boat he had by himself. The small fleet of boats glided forward. Everyone was silent as they watched the glittering school getting closer and closer. “Heads down!” yelled Hagrid. A large cliff towered above so the passengers of the boats ducked.   
Underneath the cliff was a tunnel which the boats crossed into. It seemed as though they were underneath the castle. The boats came to a stop and Alex stood up to help Elena.

“Ladies first,” He took her hand as she giggled. She climbed up the large rocks and Alex watched as she ran forward. He turned towards Nikhita and held out his hand. She gave a small smile and took his hand. They both guided themselves up as Draco was standing near Elena with a scowl. 

“I better be getting all of your candy,” Draco whispered harshly to Alex. He laughed and shoved him.

“Don’t be jealous, Draco! I’m sure you can hold hands with the girls later.” A look of confusion spread across his features before nodding and catching up to the girls. Alex heard a small call of ‘Trevor!’ and turned back to see Harry watching Neville. Harry turned away and ran forward, missing the glances of Alex. 

Alex sped up his walk, walking through a passageway before wading through wet grass. They reached a flight of stone steps. Alex scowled internally, he really should work out more often. Alex walked up behind Nikhita and watched as Hagrid checked for everyone. Hagrid nodded before turning to a large wooden door and knocking three times. 

The door swung open and Alex turned to see a green-robed woman who was introduced, as McGonagall. She swept the first-years into an empty corridor and explained the houses and house points. Alex tuned out her voice and focused appearance. She was a tall, stern-looking woman with black hair tied up alongside her head. Her speech finished when he heard Harry ask Ron a question. 

“How exactly do they sort us into our houses?” 

Ron responded “Some sort of test-” Alex tapped Harry’s shoulder. He jumped slightly before turning to Alex.

“Don’t be nervous about the test!” Alex laughs slightly. It seemed the mention of the test had frightened a lot of people as the first-years watched Alex intently. “They use a sorting hat, a hat that checks your personality and background to put you into your house. All you have to do is put it on your head” A couple of first-years visibly relax. Ron watches Alex with a puzzled look.

There was a large jump as several people screamed. Alex and the others turned to see around 20 translucent people chatting with each other, they quickly gave small greetings and turned forward. 

“Move along now, the Sorting Ceremony is about to start.” Professor McGonagall led the students forward. Alex hummed and stepped back towards his friends. 

The students didn’t look as nervous and Alex even got some small smiles from others. He stepped into the line, making sure to be near Draco. They walked into the grand cafeteria, lit by thousands of candles along with a large starry sky above them. At least 100 people were watching them. Alex pushed down the nerves and smiled. Above them was a hat resting Professor McGonagall. The hat looked completely normal before it started singing. Alex slightly cringed at the loud voice. The audience clapped loudly. 

‘What happens if the hat reads my head? What if he decides to tell Dumbledore?’ A mixture of nausea and adrenaline hit Alex. He just hoped he could make a deal with the hat. 

Professor McGonagall stepped forward with parchment and told the first-years what they should do. 

“Abbott, Hannah” A girl with ponytails stepped forward and sat down. The hat rested over her head before Hufflepuff was called. Alex took a deep breath. “Avery, Alexander” Alex stepped forward towards the hat, giving a small wave to Draco. The hat was placed on his head, covering his eyes.

“Well! Look at this!” Alex bristled slightly. ‘Don’t worry kid, I won’t tell Dumbledore, not as if I could anyway.”

‘You’re… not shocked?’

“I’ve seen a lot of things kid, you’re just slightly more exciting than most. Let’s get this over with, shall we? It’s almost been 2 whole minutes with you. Let’s see, we can cross off Ravenclaw.” Alex breathed a sigh of relief “Very brave, yes. Very loyal and kind… Cunning too… Hufflepuff suits you, it does. But that would also be tricky for you on your mission? Not Gryffindor. A mixture of Hufflepuff and Slytherin? Let’s see, yes we’ll go with that one.” 

“HUFFLEPUFF”. When the hat was taken off the cheering wasn’t there, he turned to McGonagall whose expression was perplexed. The cheering started up and Alex quickly walked over to the Hufflepuff table.

Alex was greeted by a boy named Gabriel Truman and a girl named Sydney Wilson, the Hufflepuff prefects. There were a lot of names called, most came to Hufflepuff. Alex made sure to give a warm smile to his fellow first-years. It was finally Hermione's turn, she was called up and is placed in the expected Gryffindor house. Next up was Elena. She skipped forward, and almost immediately the hat shouted Hufflepuff. 

There were a couple more people until finally, it was Harry’s turn. His name was called out and Alex noticed the Prefects straighten. Were they hoping that Harry would be in Hufflepuff? It was a small amount of time before he was called Gryffindor. The cheering was obnoxious but he ignored it to look at the shocked face of Draco. He hadn’t known that the skinny boy was Harry Potter and yet he had spent time with him! 

Alex watched as Nikhita stepped forward, taking her seat and waiting for the sorting hat. “SLYTHERIN,”. Alex smiled, now he knew that Draco wouldn’t have to deal with JUST Crabbe and Goyle. Everyone waited out the rest of the sorting ceremony, Alex took note of Ron’s sorting in Gryffindor. The day proceeded and only then did Alex notice a white-bearded man step forward. 

Alex scowled. He didn’t like Dumbledore as much as he should have. He felt like Dumbledore favored Gryffindors too much and raised Harry as someone to only just defeat Voldemort. His death was something he didn’t care all that much about since it was mostly inevitable. He also glared at Quirrell.

“Are you alright, Alex?” A concerned Elena was watching him. He noticed he also got some odd looks from fellow first-years. Alex waved off her concern, tuning out Dumbledore’s speech.

“I just have a bad feeling about the defense of dark arts teacher.”

“Professor Quirrell? Did he do something wrong?”

“It’s just a hunch.” Elena blinked but soon changed the subject. 

“Do you think we’ll be able to sit at the other lunch tables?” She shrugs her head towards the Slytherin. Alex nods.

“I don’t see why not, it’ll be good for house relationships.” Elena claps her head together. 

“I can’t wait! We’ll be able to go to the dorms soon and classes!” Alex chuckles.

“You’re very excited, huh?” 

“You two are first-years right?” Alex and Elena turn towards a large boy with a small smile. Alex nods at him and continues to survey the food that had appeared. “You’re an odd one.” Alex turns toward him with a confused look. “I- I mean. You took awhile on the hat, you know? Most people take only a minute or two.” Alex turns a confused look onto Elena.

“You were on the hat for about 4 minutes. That’s why a lot of people are curious.” Alex tilts his head.

“The hat had a hard time picking between Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff.” Elena looks curiously at Alex.

“Really? I didn’t even feel the hat!” 

“Haven’t had anyone take that long in a while.” A ghost appeared through the table and started speaking. “The longest someone has taken was 7 minutes. Still got into Hufflepuff though! I should introduce myself, I’m Friar but people call me Fat Friar.” 

“I’m Alexander Avery.” 

“And I’m Elena Harmon.”

“Pleasure to meet you both. I must say I have heard your last name before Alexander.” Alex chuckled nervously. 

The rest of the afternoon passed by quickly. After watching the students nearly inhale all of the food, Alex resorted to just eating a turkey sandwich. Lunch ended and the first-years were lead down the stairway, near the kitchens. The prefects led the first-years towards barrels. 

Gabriel explained, “The Hufflepuff common room is different from the others. Instead of just riddles or a word password, you need to knock on the barrels correctly.” He demonstrates by knocking the barrels. Soon a narrow passageway opens right near them. “The password represents the Helga Hufflepuff, the founder of the house. So make sure to remember it!” 

They walk down the passageway into a large common room. The Hufflepuff common room was never fully described in the novels or movies, but inside it was a large dome with small windows carving the tops, letting light in. The room was decorated in a variety of green and yellow plants. Adorning the back of the common room was yellow and black couches huddled near a fireplace. On the right was a stairway leading up to what Alex assumed was the sleeping corridors. There were at least 20 Hufflepuff students hanging from chairs and couches, all enamored in a conversation. All of the students looked so cheerful that it filled Alex with a sense of warmth. The prefects led them up, Gabriel taking the boys and Sydney taking the girls. Alex followed closely and was shown his dorm room that he shared with two boys. 

“I’m Ernest Macmillan, but you can call me Ernie.” Alex stared at the blonde-haired boy. He vaguely remembered him, but Alex guessed that he was one of the students that joined ‘Dumbledore’s Army’. 

“I’m Justin Finch-Fletchley.” He was busy packing but Alex remembered him also from ‘Dumbledore’s Army’. Alex hummed softly.

“I’m Alexander Avery, but you guys can just call me Alex.” Alex sat cross-legged on his bed observing the boys as they unpacked. Salmon meowed softly from the cage and Alex turned around. 

He opened the cage and cuddled Salmon into his arms. Salmon purrs into his arms, waving his tail softly as he also watches the two boys. 

“Aren’t you going to unpack?” Ernie tilts his head backward and meets Alex’s eyes. Alex smiles and shakes his head. 

“I don’t have much stuff anyway so I’m just going to unpack tomorrow morning.” Idle chatter starts to drift and Alex starts to get to know his roommates better. 

Alex yawns and soon he hears a light’s out from some older students. Salmon curls up onto the pillow and Alex stretched himself onto the bed, yawning in the process. 

“Night, Avery!” Justin calls. 

“It’s Alex” Alex glares at Justin before turning into the covers and yearning himself to sleep.

One day down, 7 years to go.


	5. Chapter 5

The first day of school was Monday. Alex and the other Hufflepuff’s schedule were given by the Prefects and then told that they could do whatever they wanted until their next class. Alex was surprised by how open his schedule was, but didn’t complain. His first-class was History of Magic with the Gryffindors.

Alex quickly ate breakfast and kept glancing at his schedule. Class started at 12:30 so he did not need to rush, but the thrill of being at Hogwarts and going to school seemed exciting. 

“Why are you acting like that?” Alex jumps slightly and turns to see Draco with a raised eyebrow. 

“Would you believe me if I said I was nervous?” Draco hums as he slides next to Alex. He steals Alex’s apple and leans across the table. 

“Why would YOU be nervous?” Alex rolls his eyes.

“What do you think I am? I’m human, of course, I get nervous.” Draco scoffs and bites down on the apple. 

“Have you talked to Potter, yet?” Alex flinches.

“Potter? Are you talking about Harry?” Draco chews far too slow for Alex’s liking. He nods but doesn’t meet Alex’s eyes. “Draco, what did you do?”

“I did nothing! What makes you think I did something”

“You’re acting very suspicious. Sides, with your personality it wouldn’t be far off.” Draco is silent.

“Fine! I did get slightly mad at the kid. He was acting so weirdly before I thought he was some abused kid, but instead, he’s the famous Harry Potter!” 

“Draco!” Draco flinches. “Are you forgetting his parents are DEAD? We don’t know where he has been for the past couple of years! He might still have been abused.” The slightly aggravated features on Draco’s face disappears into a face of guilt. “I swear. I left you alone for not even half a day and you’re already bullying people.” 

“Alright, I admit I did push him once or twice. But I didn’t hurt him!” Alex glares.

“I think the process of pushing can be considered hurting someone.” Draco groans. “I hope you’ll apologize to the kid, he seems nice.” Draco’s famous scowl appeared.

“Don’t tell me you want to be friends with him?” Alex tilts his head, sipping down the last drops of his water.

“Why wouldn’t I want to be? He’s in the same year and he appears to be a kind person.” Draco picks up the apple core as Alex sits up and moves to throw away the leftover crumbs. Alex perks up and with a grin, he turns to Draco. “I know! You’re just jealous I’m not hanging out with only you.”

“Hah?!” Draco scoffs as they continue walking. They walk silently down the hallway before Draco speaks up, “You have a class with him later right?” Alex assumes he’s talking about Harry and nods. “Just don’t…” Draco mumbles the rest.

“I couldn’t hear you. What was that?” Draco’s scowl deepens and he walks faster. “I know you have a class with him this morning! Make sure to apologize!” Draco’s pace picked up until Alex was only with a couple of older students in the cafeteria. 

Alex took a stroll to the library and waited for class to begin.

\---------

He was early by a couple of minutes. Alex had found a library guide called ‘The complete guide to Hogwarts halls and stairs’. It was very convenient since the school kept moving. Alex twirled his quill as he waited for the other first-years. 

‘The first thing I need to do is tell Harry about potions. Maybe Snape will like him better.’ Alex leaned back on the chair and stared at the ceiling. It was too tiring thinking about everything. Maybe he should sit back and let Harry do everything and only join in when someone is in danger. 

“Hello, you’re Alex right?” Alex jumped suddenly. He turned to see Ron and Harry watching him.

“Yeah, you’re Ron Weasley and Harry Potter?” There was a small nod from Ron and a large grin from Harry.

“Can we sit with you?” Alex blinked. He hadn’t expected Harry to sit with him.

“I don’t mind!” Alex responded and slid down further into the seat. Harry sat next to Alex while Ron sat next to Harry. 

There was a small silence before Alex spoke up. 

“Did you know that if you add powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood it makes a potion of The Draught of Living Death?” Harry stares at him with a confused look. “Remember this! A bezoar is a stone found in a goat, a bezoar can save you from lots of poisons. There is no difference between monkshood and wolfsbane, they’re the same plant and can also go by aconite.” Ron looks at him.

“What is the purpose of that?” Ron narrows his eyes.

“For potions class! Professor Snape is very strict. Make sure to take lots of notes and pay attention to classmates during brewing.” Harry nods, half confused but understands it’s important. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t say my name earlier. I’m not used to being ‘Harry Potter’” Alex waves him off.

“It’s fine. The only one that was angry was Draco.” 

“What was his deal?” Ron sneers. Alex turned to him.

“Did he do something bad? I’m sorry about him.”

“He seems to have a dislike for Ron and his family.” Harry’s expression is somber. Did he get attached to Draco already?

“Don’t worry, he’s always like that to people. It’s just his father doesn’t have a great relationship with Ron’s” Harry turns to Ron and he shrugs in response.

A ghost enters the room and introduces himself as Professor Binns. The lessons continue into the day and Alex is glad that everything was going well.

\-----------

Harry’s Potions class

Harry had finished writing to Hagrid and tuned into the conversation Ron was having. He remembered the tips he had been given, paid attention to his classmate’s brewing and took lots of notes. They were simple tips but Harry felt that he would have forgotten them in another life. 

Harry fidgeted in Potion’s class as he waited. Snape was strict with everyone but Slytherin. The room was cold seeing as how it was in the dungeon and the floating jars of eyes didn’t help with the chills. Snape entered the room and Harr almost didn’t see why he was so scary until he opened his mouth. He called roll call and paused at Harry’s name.

“Ah yes. Harry Potter, our new ---- celebrity” A couple of Slytherins snickered but Harry noticed the scowl Draco had towards the teacher. Harry listened as Snape explained his rules with a quiet but demanding voice. Ron looked skeptical at the end and Harry wasn’t far off. He noticed Hermione looked eager, almost off her seat in anticipation. “Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?” 

Harry vaguely remembered what Alex told him. “The Draught of Living Dead, right?” Snape’s scowl is apparent.

“Then what is the Draught of Living Dead then?” 

“I assume it’s a powerful sleeping potion, sir,” Harry added sir for good measure. 

“Fine, Potter, where would you look to find if I told you to find a bezoar?”

“It’s a stone inside of a goat, sir,” Ron perked up. He most definitely remembered this information from a certain black-haired Hufflepuff. Snape grit his teeth in annoyance. 

“What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?” 

“It’s the same plant. It can also be called Aconite.” A feeling of pride overtook Harry and he made a mental note to thank Alex profusely later. 

“...Correct. A point to Gryffindor. Why aren’t you all writing this down?” 

The class was set up quickly to make a cure for boils. Snape seemed strict with everyone but Malfoy. Harry watched his cauldron carefully, then he caught a glimpse of Neville grabbing the porcupine quills. 

“Neville!” Neville jumped and looked over at Harry. “Make sure to take your cauldron off the fire before adding the quills.” He nodded and grabbed the cauldron and moved it away.

“...Well done, Potter, a point to Gryffindor” Snape crept behind Harry as he finished his potion. Harry had the feeling that he made a good impression.

\-------

“Did you hear about the Gringotts break-in? It’s happened twice in the past 5 years. You would think the bank was more secure.” Ernie and Justin talked back and forth throughout the lunch period. 

“Do you think it’s the same person that broke in?” Justin questioned.

“How do you think they managed that? They would have to be a very powerful wizard.” Alex tuned out the rest of the conversation. 

It was officially Thursday and the first day of flying class. Today was the day Harry would be seen as an amazing flyer. It was unlikely that Draco would harm Harry, but Neville is another case entirely. 

“What’s going on?” Alex heard Professor McGonagall shout near the Slytherin table. Crabbe and Goyle were holding a scarlet piece of paper. Alex vaguely recalled the scene of Draco taking Neville’s remembrall and smiled lightly as he saw Draco yell at them. 

“You’re friends with Malfoy, right?” Alex turned to see Ernie looking at him. Alex nodded.

“Isn’t he mean? I mean his family used to be death eaters. I’m sure he’s a spoiled brat.” Alex laughs off the vague concern.

“He’s nice sometimes. I think he only deals with me because we’ve known each other for a while.”

“I think he’s giving you the stink eye right now.” Alex turns to see Draco looking at him with a face that looks somewhat of a glare. He gives a small wave before turning back.

“That’s just what he normally looks like. He’s a very grouchy person.”

“Let’s just hope he doesn’t do anything during flying lessons, I heard him boasting about how good he was.” Alex nodded. He knew Draco loved flying. He just hoped that Draco’s new sense of awareness would stop him from harming his classmates.

\--------

The first-years huddled by the brooms and waited for the teacher. Alex made sure to sit next to one and admire it. Elena sat next to him, looking nervous. 

“Do you know how to fly?” Alex shakes his head. Elena sighs in relief. “How are we supposed to sit on a stick and move around? Doesn’t it hurt?” Alex chuckles.

“I think that’s why they have cushions on some brooms.” Elena scowls, already disliking the idea.

“I wish wizards created something cooler, like teleportation!” 

“You will just have to wait until you can apparate.”

“Appa-”

“Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up.” Madam Hooch appeared suddenly and barked out orders. Alex quickly stood up along with Elena. They all followed Madam Hooch’s instructions and soon we were starting to kick off. 

Madam Hooch blew a whistle and everyone started to slowly float. Alex watched everyone carefully. A certain nervous boy started to fly higher than what was needed. 

“Come back, boy!” Madam Hooch’s shouts didn’t do a thing to Neville as he floated higher and higher. There was a sickening thud as Neville fell and Alex cringed. He couldn’t interfere with this event. This was when Harry would become part of the Quidditch team. 

There was a small discussion of Neville’s broken wrist and the professor took him back to the hospital wing. It was quiet before a group of Slytherins laughed.

“Did you see that? The fat lump looked so scared!” A boy with dark skin chuckled. 

“Look, he left his Remembrall!” A short-haired girl commented. This was supposed to be an important event, but Draco wouldn’t do something like that. She went to grab it but Draco stepped up. 

“Why don’t we play toss with it, that would be more fun than sitting here.” Draco took the scroll and Alex couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Give that here, Malfoy.” The yard was quiet as Harry spoke up. The events seemed far too unreal. Was Alex’s influence really that bad? He was sure the dialogue changed but Draco was still getting the Remembrall. There was a small shouting match and Alex felt a pinch of something by his side, it was most likely Elena trying to get his attention. 

Alex watched as Draco started to fly higher and higher. Harry followed quickly after with extreme ease. The longer they argued, the more Alex felt as though he hadn’t changed a thing. 

“DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY!” Alex shouted at the top of his lungs. It seemed to startle most of the students, including Draco. Draco glanced slightly at Alex and Alex saw nothing more than the boy he first met. “YOU GET BACK DOWN HERE AND APOLOGIZE,” There was a small sigh from Draco and Alex had a sliver of hope. That was until Draco threw the Remembrall. Alex and the rest of the students watched as it fell with Harry following quickly after.

There was a large swoop and Harry caught the Remembrall and hit the ground with ease. Alex didn’t pay attention to him, he was watching Draco silently. He glided down as Professor McGonagall fussed over him and dragged him away. Alex stepped forward towards Draco and did the only thing he could think of. Alex swung his closed hand back and punched Draco.

“ALEX!” There was a large amount of chaos as the students watched. Elena tried to pull back Alex’s fist. There was a small flicker of shock through Draco’s expression.

“I… I thought you learned Draco! I thought you learned not to be like your father… not to be such a jerk!” The tears stung Alex’s eyes as glared. Did their relationship mean nothing to the plot? Was he giving it all up to be the villain of Harry’s story?

“Alex… Y-You have to believe me! I have no idea what came over me!” The pleading voice Draco had was convincing. Alex wasn’t sure what to believe. 

Alex turned away and walked fast. He wouldn’t blame Draco, that was certain. Alex just wanted to run away from the fact that Draco would cause destruction and become a Deatheater whether he liked it or not.


	6. Draco Malfoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm adding a new part of my story. These are 'Fillers' in a way. They will have Alex interact with the characters that aren't actually part of the 'Main Story'. If you want a certain date for these events, they're mostly between the months that JK Rowling didn't write about in Harry Potter. I will take requests on who Alex interacts with! I may change the POV type of these chapters. (You're free to skip these if you just want the main plot! :D )
> 
> (These will be short stories!)

You would be surprised if someone told you Draco and Alex didn’t get along at first. Sure, Draco saw him as a potential person to be friends with but that didn’t mean they had common interests. In fact, they couldn’t agree on anything at first. Alex would want to eat Ham but Draco would want to eat Steak. Alex would want chocolate cake, Draco wanted Vanilla. Alex liked sunny colors like blue and yellow, he adored sunsets and the night sky. Draco liked dark colors like green and black, (He had those typic Slytherin notions that Alex wanted to get rid of) he loved the middle of the days. He believed it was the most productive part of the day, better than night.

Alex’s insecurity that he may not be able to change Draco from becoming a tyrant haunted him. The threat slowly disappeared as they spent most of their time together. You can still be friends with someone who doesn’t have common interests with you, right?

Alex’s favorite conversations with Draco was whenever he became sick. It had happened three times. Draco would come down with a unexpected flu and become feverish. When Draco’s mind was hazy, he was more truthful. Alex remembered when they were both ten.

_‘I can’t believe you caught the flu!’ Alex huffed at Draco when he entered the room._

_‘Sick person here! You’re supposed to be nice to me’ Alex ignored him and grabbed the stool sitting at his desk. He placed it down next to Draco and huffed angrily._

_‘Honestly! I told you not to jump into that creek, it was way too cold’ Draco chuckled as he turned towards Alex._

_‘Your laugh was really pretty when I jumped, it was worth it.’ Alex scowled._

_‘The fever must have hit you pretty hard for you to be saying stuff like that.’ Draco just smiled lightly._

_‘I feel like your my mom during these moments’_

_“Mrs. Malfoy? That’s good then, she’s really nice.’ Draco shuffled to the edge of the bed and grabbed Alex’s hand. He placed it on his forehead._

_‘Your hands are cold, what are you? A freezer?’_

_‘Says the guy using my hand as an ice pack.’ Alex tries to pull back his hand but Draco keeps it in place._

_‘This is nice… I wish every day was like this.’_

_‘You wish you were sick every day?’_

_‘No. I wish that everyone was worried about me every day’_

_‘I’ll have you know, I’m worried about how dumb you’re getting every day!’ Draco only continued smiling, a soft look of pure happiness rested on his features._

_‘Alex… Do you promise we’ll be friends forever?”_

_“What’s up with you all of a sudden.” Alex felt a slight deja vu. This was like one of those scenes from a romance novel._

_‘Can you just answer the question?’_

_‘Alright, on my name, Alex Avery shall forever be friends with Draco Lucious Malfoy.’ One of Draco’s eyes opened._

_‘You promise?’ Alex nodded enthusiastically._

_‘Pinky promise!’ Alex took his small pinky and hooked it around Draco’s._

_His eyes closed again, and soon his breathing became labored as he quietly fell asleep. Alex breathed a sigh of relief and rested his head against the edge of the bed._

_‘Friends forever, eh?’ Alex whispered to himself. He liked the thought of having friends, and he had one more than when he lived with his mom now._


	7. Chapter 6

Alex ignored the rumors of Draco challenging Harry, he wouldn’t hear it.

_ “Alex… Y-You have to believe me! I have no idea what came over me!” The pleading voice Draco had was convincing. Alex wasn’t sure what to believe. _

Alex ignored the concerns of his roommates and huddled under the sheets of his bed. Alex knew that today was the day that Harry and Ron found the passage to the Sorcerer’s Stone. He also knew that he couldn’t interfere unless it was necessary. 

Alex turned roughly in his bed, it was only the first year and everything was already a mess. Alex pictured Voldemort hovering over Harry’s permanent dead body and shivered as he fell asleep.

\------

Alex didn’t pay much to his surroundings, he was too busy ‘eating’ his food. He didn’t notice Harry unwrapping his gift, a nimbus two-thousand. He didn’t notice Harry and Ron scurrying out of the cafeteria. He didn’t notice the concerned glances from Draco. All Alex wanted to do was go back to bed and sleep away this dream. 

Alex stood up. He was weirdly full this morning. He said his goodbyes to his friends and quickly walked out of the lunchroom. Alex heard loud footsteps as he left, so he turned back to see Draco running after him.

“Alex! Wait up!” Alex fell silent as he watched Draco slow his footsteps. 

“Do you need anything?” Alex’s voice sounded cold. Draco flinched slightly and grabbed Alex’s arm. 

“Listen, I know you’re mad. I can’t do anything to make up for it. I’ve already apologized to Potter and explained the situation to Mcgonagall! I’ve done everything I can, Alex!” Draco’s expression and voice looked pained. Draco couldn’t lose Alex over something stupid like throwing a Remeberall. 

Alex’s expression softened. “If that’s the case…” Draco looked up with a smile. “As long as you don’t do it again, it’ll be fine.” Draco beamed and hugged Alex. Alex leaned against Draco and grinned.

“It’ll never happen again! I promise!” Draco waved to Alex as he walked away and Alex something was wrong deep in his gut.

‘ _ Liar’ _

\-------------------

Alex had 1 out of the 7 Horcruxes, now he just needed 6 more. All of the venom he had gathered still wasn’t strong enough to get rid of the cup, although he had severely damaged it. He would have to wait until 2nd year to get Basilisk Venom and Tom Riddle’s Journal. Unfortunately, Alex hadn’t managed to find the diary anywhere in Malfoy Manor. It seemed Lucious had hidden it away and locked it very tightly in a safe or hiding spot of some sort. 

Now, Alex was going to find Ravenclaw’s Diadem. It was hidden in the Room of Requirements when Harry found it in his fifth year. All Alex had to do was go onto the seventh floor of the castle and turn left while wishing to find the Diadem. And Boom! 

Alex quietly muttered under his breath until finally, a small door appeared. Alex grinned to himself as he walked in. Inside was an assortment of treasure, gold coins, and such. Above a small box sat the diadem. It was very anti-climatic, seeing as in the novel Harry had to get through Draco and his minions to get it. Alex grabbed a small bag and shoved the diadem in it. The bag would end up containing the rest of the Horcruxes until he found a way to destroy them.

Alex looked around the room with a smile. If he ever needed money in the future, this would be the place to go. He quickly turned and ran out of the room, Alex didn’t want to get stuck in a room full of gold, no matter how tempting it was.

\-------

It was Halloween morning and Alex was ready to fight a troll. Of course, he wouldn’t kill it, maybe just stun it. He was tempted to see what a troll looked like in this world. It had been a long two months and Alex could safely say he was getting closer to the Golden Trio.

Alex often saw Hermione sitting by the library reading. He would go up to her and help her with the homework and often recommended books to her. She quickly got used to Alex’s constant presence and even considered him as a friend. Alex often heard her complain about Ron and Harry and how they were ‘Ruining Gryfindoor’s chances of winning the cup!’. She also told Alex about how the other Gryfindoors disliked her. They often mocked her for her constant reading.

_ “Sometimes I wished I was in Ravenclaw! It would be so much more fitting.” Hermione complained softly. They were in the library after all. _

_ ‘I don’t think you belong in Ravenclaw.” Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. _

_ “And why not?”  _

_ “Let’s see… Ravenclaw’s are a creative force. They don’t focus on just books and such. They focus on the creativity of thoughts while you focus on straight forward answers. You focus on looking up answers in a book while a Ravenclaw would focus on figuring out the answer using their ability to think outside the box to answer it.” Hermione nodded. “I also think that your strong stance on your opinions makes you more of a Gryffindor.” _

_ Hermione beams. “You think? I was starting to doubt myself!” Alex placed his head against the table as he watched Hermione ramble. He hoped these moments wouldn’t end. _

Alex also made a point to hang out with Ron whenever he saw him. Alex was very curious about the Weasly family and loved to listen to Ron ramble and complain about his siblings.

_ “And you know what they did? They cursed Percy’s cup so that he would hiccup all day. Thankfully it wore off in a couple of days, heard if you hiccup too much it kills you.” Ron loved to brag about Fred and George’s pranks on Percy. _

_ “Why do they hate Percy so much?” _

_ “He’s a know-it-all! He also hates being with us so much. I wouldn’t be surprised if he dropped us for a job.” Alex chuckled darkly. _

_ “You have no idea,” Alex muttered. _

_ “Huh? What do you mean?” Alex waved him off.  _

_ “So, who’s your favorite sibling?” _

_ “My favorite? That’s hard. Since I don’t see Bill and Charlie so much it wouldn’t be them. Percy is also off my list. Ginny’s cool, she’s just young. I feel like I would like Fred and George better if they didn’t prank me every time they saw me.” _

_ “It’s hard to choose, huh?” Ron nodded. “Well, moving past your family. What do you like?” Ron paused and thought for a moment.  _

_ “You mean like hobbies?” Alex nodded. “Well, I don’t have many. I like  _ _ Quidditch like my Pa. I also have a big fear of spiders! I have a pet named Scabbers, but I hate him though. Wish I could get rid of him but he’s a ‘family member’. I do have a sweet tooth… that’s pretty much it.”  _

_ Alex slung his arm around Ron’s shoulder. “It’s okay! We’ll just have to figure out what you like!” _

_ “And how do we do that?” Alex grinned. _

_ “We can go rob a bank together! Or we could test a whole bunch of hobbies together until you find something you like.” _

_ “I’ll go with the second choice. When should we do it?” Alex laughed. _

_ “How about now?” Ron sniggered. _

_ “Let’s do it!” _

Alex soon found out Ron liked instruments like the flute and muggle sports like Tennis and Basketball.

Of course, Alex didn’t forget the main character himself. He would always watch whenever Harry practiced Quidditch and soon, Harry caught on.

_ “Hey, Alex! Did you need something?” Harry flew down near where Alex was sitting. _

_ “Oh, Harry! I heard you got into the team in your first year! Congrats!” Harry chuckled nervously. _

_ “It was pretty nerve-wracking when McGonagall dragged me along like that.” Alex smiled. _

_ “I saw that! You’re a natural on the broom though.” Alex watched the broom with unease. “When I first started I fell off at a large height.” Harry whistled. “Thankfully, I’m better! I just wanted to give you some pointers.” _

_ “Really? Wouldn’t that harm your chances at winning the cup for Hufflepuff?” Alex sniggers. _

_ “I don’t think Hufflepuff will win anytime soon.” It was true, in the book Hufflepuff hadn’t won for the next several years. _

_ “If it’s like that, then you can show me on my broom!” _

_ “Really? I’ve never touched a Nimbus Two-Thousand!” _

_ “I thought your family was rich, cause, you know.” Harry scratches his head awkwardly. “You’re friends with Draco after all.” Alex waved him off. _

_ “My dad gives me an allowance, but it’s not enough to buy a broom.” Alex walks closer to Harry and inspects the broom. “This is lighter than Draco’s so you need to make light movements. If they’re too rough…”  _

_ Alex and Harry’s conversation carried through for a couple of hours before Harry was confident he could beat a Wizarding team seeker. _

Alex came back from zoning out to see Nikhita walking over to the Hufflepuff table. Some of the Hufflepuffs looked visibly uncomfortable.

“Is it alright if I sit with you guys?” There was a nervous smile from Nikhita as she asked. Perhaps from some of the glares of the other first-years. Alex moved over slightly, letting her sit between him and Elena. 

“Is something wrong?” Elena kept moving her eyes between the Slytherin table and Nikhita. 

“It’s nothing, I’m just interested in what you’re talking about.” Nikhita grabbed a small piece of bread and started to chew.

“Nothing much! I was just wondering what we would be doing today! I mean in muggle Halloween... “ Elena seemed to ramble off about muggle Halloween with Nikhita and some other first-years watching her intently. 

\--

Classes passed by quickly and Alex kept a lookout for any crying Hermiones. Luckily, he heard some third-year girls gossiping about her near the charms classroom. 

“Hello, ladies! I was just wondering if you could tell me where you saw my friend Hermione walking off too.” The girls looked vaguely uncomfortable but said she was in the stall of the third-floor bathroom. 

Alex ran quickly, any moment now Professor Quirrell would release the troll. He didn’t have time to idle. 

\----

Elena was very concerned. She hadn’t seen Alex since the ending of class, and it was almost the end of lunch! He never missed the days when the cafeteria served grilled cheese! Elena didn’t think Alex could get lost since he always kept that map of the school with him. Was he hurt? Perhaps she should look for him?

Her concerns grew larger as Professor Quirell ran in and announced a troll was in the dungeons. She had to find Draco and Nikhita!

Elena ran towards where she saw Draco and Nikhita chatting in a small panic. 

“DRACO! NIKHITA! ALEX IS MISSING!” Their panicked expression grew frantic. 

“What do you mean he is missing? This better not be some joke-” Draco’s expression was a mix of anger and fear.

“Hermione’s also missing.” Elena turned to see Harry and Ron with guilty looks. “We think Alex went to find her, I heard they’re both friends.” 

“And why is Hermione missing?” Nikhita’s skeptical expression made Ron fidget.

“We’ll go find them, guys! Don’t worry!” Harry looked slightly more confident than he felt. Ron and Harry nodded at each other before they ran out.

“I am not sitting back while those fools find Alex! You two come with me!” Elena turned to Draco and Nikhita. They shrugged before running out of the room too.

\--

Alex heard the small sniffles of Hermione as he crept into the girl’s bathroom. He already knew this wouldn’t be the last time he was in here as realized where the Chamber of Secrets was.

“Hermione? It’s me, Alex.” The sniffles muffled as a crooked voice called out. 

“Alex? Why are you in the girl’s bathroom?” 

“I heard that you were crying from a couple of girls and came to make sure you were okay.” Alex walked quietly towards Hermione and carefully cradled her towards his chest. “What happened? Who made you cry?” Although Alex already knew, he didn’t want to seem to know.

“I-It was Ron. Why does he hate me? I didn’t even do anything!” The sniffles decreased as Alex wove his fingers through her hair.

“Feel better?” There was a small nod against his chest that Alex took as a yes.

Then Alex smelled it, a foul odor that almost killed his sense of smell. A large 12-foot troll came in the room, then a click of the door.

“Hey, Hermione. I’m going to need you to close your eyes.”

“Huh?” Alex whipped out his wand and pointed it at the foul-smelling creature. The troll roared as it saw it’s targets.

“STUPEFY!” The large creature halted for a split second before it dropped hastily to the ground. Alex moved closer to the wall as the troll fell, taking Hermione with him. Alex only had a couple more minutes so he yelled the most practical spell he could think of at that moment, “INCARCEROUS!” Thick ropes tightly held together with the unconscious troll. 

Alex breathed a sigh of relief until he heard another click. He looked up to see Harry and Ron watching the unconscious troll. Best way to pull this off? Let Harry take the credit.

“Harry? Could I ask a favor?” 

“Uh… sure?” Harry’s eyes never left the troll.

“Can you take the credit for this? I mean catching the troll, I think you would be better suited for this.”

“Huh?” Harry finally looked up, and Alex noticed the weird stares from Hermione and Ron.

“I mean, Hermione and I will vouch for you!” Alex winked at Hermione. “You won’t get in trouble and you’ll probably get lots of house points!” More stares. “I-I just don’t want to take credit?” Alex’s confident facade started to fade as he looked at the flabbergasted expressions of his friends.

“You want me to take credit for defeating a troll YOU defeated?” Alex nodded not understanding what the situation was.

“Please?” Harry groaned loudly and covered his face with his hand. 

“You are the weirdest person I have met here, and that is saying a lot!” Alex chuckled slightly. “Fine! I’ll do it. As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone here.” There were some small glances between Ron, Hermione, and Harry as they nodded. 

Hermione slipped out of Alex’s arms as Harry pulled out his wand. 

“I need to cast the spells on your wand so they think it’s true.” Harry nods and passes Alex his wand. There was a small muttering of the spells as cast them on a small sewer rat. He passed the wand back to Harry. 

There was a dramatic slamming of the door as Snape, McGonagall, and Quirell all came in. There was a small lecture.

“Why weren’t you all in the dorms?!” It was scary to see McGongall this angry.

“Ma’am-” Hermione started to say.

“It was dangerous.” Alex stepped forward.

“Huh?” Snape and McGongall looked up, now noticing the Hufflepuff student.

“The dorms I mean. Mine was in the dungeon and the Gryffindor dorms were close to it. Why would we go near the place where a troll was and risk getting attacked? Thankfully, Harry and Ron noticed we were missing and came to save us before we got attacked.” There was a small silence as the teachers realized what he meant. 

“And you dragged Ms. Granger with you?” There was a grim nod from Alex as Snape scowled at him.

“...I understand your thinking Mr. Avery and your need to take care of Granger here. 2 points from Hufflepuff. Harry and Ron, for saving Hermione 10 points to Gryffindor.” There was a small sigh of relief from Alex. He was glad the teachers didn’t question the chosen one defeating a troll. McGonagall pushed them out of the bathroom. “Everyone head to the feast, it’ll be in your dorms.”

They all walked out. Alex gave a small smiled to the Golden Trio as they smiled at each other. 

“I’ll see you all later?” Alex gave a small smile as they nodded. Harry held out his hand and Alex shook it. They turned away and walked towards the direction of the Gryffindor dorm. Alex watched with a solemn expression. He knew secretly that he wouldn't be able to fit in with the Golden trio, he had no place there. 

After they disappeared from his sight, Alex noticed a panicked Elena. She ran towards him with full throttle and crashed into him. 

“Where were you? I was so worried you were eaten by a troll.” Nikhita and Draco came running from the corridor. There was some scolding from Draco and Nikhita. Eventually, they gave up and promised to sneak the Hufflepuffs into the Slytherins dorm for the feast. Alex laughed along with his friends as they headed to the dorms, all doubts disappearing. 


	8. Chapter 7

There was a large breeze in the air, something you would expect from the beginning of November. Alex rubbed his hands together. He wasn’t good with the cold. 

“Alex?” Alex turned to Elena, who seemed to be dressed up for winter with a big puffy jacket. He raised his eyebrows as a signal for her to continue. “Hagrid’s hut isn’t far from here right?” Alex nodded.

“You dimwits need to hurry! Hagrid offered us cookies and I will be taking them ALL if you both don’t speed up.” Draco was only a few feet ahead of Alex and Elena. He was walking next to Nikhita who chuckled at his insults.

“I agree, hopefully, Hagrid has some chocolate ones,” Nikhita said thoughtfully. Draco puffed out his chest. He then explained why his mother made the best chocolate chip cookies and would share some with everyone (Most likely to brag more if they responded, Alex, changed the subject.).

“Draco! Are you excited for the Gryffindor and Slytherin match?” Draco turned to Alex who had caught up to them both.

“Of course, such a shame first years don’t have brooms, or else I would destroy our opponents!” Elena rolled her eyes.

“We get it Draco! You’re good at Quidditch yet somehow you're not on the team.” Draco grumbled angrily. 

They bickered for a couple more minutes before Nikhita got annoyed and hit them both. Alex was the first to reach Hagrid’s hut and knocked on the door. Hagrid opened the door with a loud shout.

“Hello, yeh all made it! I was stratin’ to get worried there!”

“Hello, Hagrid!” Nikhita rushed forward to say hello.

“Well, don’ stay right out in this weather! Come in!” Hagrid pushed all of them forward and they all clambered in to get closer to the fire inside the hut. Unfortunately for Nikhita, the cookies were small cinnamon bites but still tasted delightful. 

“Did you need something specific, Hagrid?” Hagrid shook his head. 

“I jus’ need wanted Nikhita here to grow some Goldenrod an’ thought it would be better if she invited yeh all along.” 

Alex stuffed some cookies into his mouth and listened silently as the others chatted about the upcoming Quidditch match. 

“No offense, Draco, but I think Gryffindor is going to win.” Elena leaned forward on one arm gauging Draco’s reaction. 

“Hah?! You believe some puny lions will take down our team!?”

“To be fair, Draco, I wouldn’t be surprised since they have Harry on the team this year.” Nikhita shrugged her shoulders at Draco’s glare and continued to eat the cookies.

Alex cleared his throat, “Wanna make a bet?”

“What kind of bet?” Draco now looked very interested in the conversation.

“If the team we bet on loses, the winner can tell the loser what to do. It’s very simple.” 

“Deal, I’ll go with Gryffindor!” Elena jumped in. Nikhita went with Gryffindor too and ignored the hurt look from Draco. He turned to Alex.

“What about you, Alex?” Alex shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ll go with Gryffindor since majority rules.”

“I feel betrayed!” Draco slammed his hand down while Elena and Alex laughed at him.

\----

Alex knew Gryffindor was going to win, but he also knew Quirrell was trying to hurt Harry. As soon as Harry’s broom started to float around strangely, Alex had to make a decision. He could let Snape, Hermione, and Ron handle it or interfere. Alex went with the former, he didn’t want to lose the chance of Gryffindor losing due to his carelessness. Alex tried to ignore the twitch of his finger as he watched Hermione and Ron run. Alex WANTED to help, but he couldn’t do anything that may harm the plot than he already has done. 

Alex knew saving Hermione wouldn’t affect the story, he also knew letting Harry take the victory would also be fine. He had done experiments before, trying to interfere with the plot too much would make everything wonky. Some events that happened in the story were skipped due to his existence, he also felt the time that wasn’t mentioned in the story zap by like it was meaningless. Other mysteries seemed weird to Alex. Like how Alex was the child of a Death Eater and the same age as Harry Potter, but not mentioned once within the story? It was as though Alex never went to Hogwarts in Harry Potter. So what happened to him? 

Was his father a cold-blooded killer that didn’t seek anymore love from his child and decided to kill him? Alex crossed that option off, his ‘father’ seemed too stupid to have killed anyone in cold blood. He had heard his father describe him as a very antisocial person before suddenly changing, had the boy not gone to Hogwarts? 

Alex was snapped out of his thoughts when a sudden cheer rang out and Harry held up a golden ball with wings. Alex smiled along with everyone, pushing out his concerns for later. 

\---

Draco was not very happy with the outcome of the game.

“Quit being a wuss and accept defeat Draco! We already went easy on you by giving a combined dare.” Elena was already fed up with Draco’s complaining, and it had only been an hour.

“No, I won’t believe it!” Draco stomped forward down the hallway. “I can’t wait to leave here for Christmas! I won’t have to deal with you bloody fools anymore!”   
  


It had turned out that Alex was the only person who signed up to stay during Christmas while Draco, Elena, and Nikhita all decided they were going home for break.

“I can see why you wouldn’t want to see YOUR father, but you could always stay with me,” Draco suggested. Alex had told him about how he was staying home due to his Father’s lack of Christmas spirit. He shook his head at the idea.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude with you guys, sides, they may do something fun for Christmas at Hogwarts!” Draco complained that Alex was family but didn’t push any further.

“Draco Malfoy! Go get me some water.” Nikhita seemed to have taken the dare to a further extent than before. They all had agreed to make Draco a servant for a couple of days (With a non-pleased Draco begrudgingly accepts). It was funny to see Draco miserable and Nikhita had gotten a type of power rush from it.

Alex watched as Draco slowly sat up for the 10th time today, just to get the three of them food or drinks.

“How long do you’ll think he lasts?” Elena whispers near Alex.

“I say 3 hours, tops. No way he’ll keep up Nikhita.” Elena grinned.

“Wanna bet on it?” Alex shook his head.

“I would prefer not to.” Elena chuckles.

Alex feels a tap on his shoulder and looks to see Hermione and Ron.

“Alex, can you help us with something?” Hermione is pulling Alex out of his chair before he could say yes. Alex gives a quick goodbye to his friends before being fully pulled away.

They were halfway across the hallway before Alex decided to ask.

“Where are we going?” 

“Don’t worry, mate. We’re just going to the library.” Ron wrapped his arms around Alex’s shoulders.

“But, WHY are we going to the library?”

“We thought you might know something about a person we’re looking for and we didn’t want anyone to overhear,” Hermione explained before they reached the library doors. 

They walked in to see Harry next to a pile of large books, skimming through them. Alex walks over to him and looks over his shoulder.

“So, who are you looking for?” Harry looks up startled but relaxes when he sees Alex. 

“We’re looking for some guy named Nicolas Flamel.” Ron walks up to both of them and Alex starts to think.

‘ _I could give them a small hint or I could say nothing.’_ Alex looks to the others and sees their hopeful faces. He cringes at the thought of disappointing them so he goes with the former option.

“I have heard about him…” There was a small cheer of excitement from the three. “Do any of you have Dumbledore’s trading card?” Harry nods.

“How will Dumbledore’s card help?”

“I believe the card mentioned Nicolas Flamel in the small description. They were partners and Flamel was an Alchemist.” Harry volunteers to leave and get the card while the rest of the first-years stay back and discuss.

“So, how does this Flamel guy relate to what the dog’s guarding.” Ron’s face scrunched up while Hermione thought silently to herself.

“Sorry I couldn’t help much.” The thoughts ‘ _I can’t tell you anything more or else.’_ were left unspoken.

Ron grinned at Alex. “It’s fine, mate! You’ve been more of a help than these dusty old books.” Alex laughs along with Ron.

“I’ll get going, you guys have fun!” Alex starts to walk away from the two until Hermione calls back.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Huh?”

“About why we’re looking for Nicolas Flamel so much.”

“I mean, it isn’t any of my business, right?”

“You’re not curious?”

“Of course I am!” ‘ _Not really, I already know.’_ The thought hides in the back of his mind. Hermione stays silent so Alex takes it as a cue to leave.

He walks out and breathes a sigh of relief.

" _A_ _t least the plot is moving forward"_


	9. Fred & George Weasley

The first time Alex met Fred and George Weasley was when he was only a month into Hogwarts. He was casually walking down a large hallway that led to the outside when one of the large paintings that adorned the wall swung open and revealed two bickering red-heads.

“I’m telling you, George, blowing up toilets are old-school pranks. We have to do something new!” 

George jumped out of the painting first, not noticing his onlooker, “No, Fred! Unless you figure out something new to do, we’re blowing up that toilet.” Fred was about to say something before a snicker escaped Alex.

The twin’s heads whipped towards the direction of the snicker. Alex scanned their position, looking back and forth between the tunnel and the twins.

“Look, George, we’ve been caught!” Fred raised his arms in the air in defeat. George followed suit, both watching the boy.

“Aren’t you Ronnie’s friend?” George said, drawing closer with a fascinated face.

“I remember! The Hufflepuff friend,” Fred noted the yellow robes, “Who’s also friends with the famous Harry Potter.”

Alex nodded, entranced by the twins and their smiles. The books said they were identical and he could confirm that both of their movements and looks were identical. Alex searched for any differences as the twins talked back and forth. The only notable difference between the two was their smiles. George’s eyes crinkled more as he smiled while Fred had more laugh lines when he smiled. 

“So you won’t tell right?” Alex looked up at Fred who had his arm slung around Alex’s shoulder.

“Tell what?” The twins laughed. Alex noticed the painting had closed as Fred started to pull Alex away from the hidden tunnel.

“I won’t tell if you let me help.” Fred exchanged a glance to George who shrugged. “With pranks, I mean. I want to prank people I dislike.” 

“I don’t mind as long as you have something better than blowing up toilets.” Alex nodded feverishly. 

“Was that an in-” George was cut off by Alex’s rambling. 

“I can do better than that.” 

“Hey! Toilets are easier to blow up than whatever Fred is thinking of!” George pushed Fred off of Alex and wrapped his arms around him. “Don’t listen to Fred, he’s a bad influence.”

“Are you kidding me? I’M the bad influence?” The bickering continued between the red-heads and Alex laughed along.


	10. Chapter 8

It was Christmas Day when Alex woke up. His roommates had gone to their homes for Christmas, so he was left alone with a couple of older Hufflepuffs that were too busy to leave Hogwarts. 

Alex walked down to the common room in his pajamas and checked under the first year’s tree. He had received four presents this year. There was a narrow box with silver wrapping paper with a note that indicated the present was from his father. A moderately larger box with red and green wrapping paper with the name “Draco” largely written across the top. Draco and Alex decided not to get each other presents for the first couple of years of their friendship. It felt like they were paying to be friends with the other. Eventually, they decided to hand out gifts without the other feeling uncomfortable. The next present was wrapped with yellow paper and a large green ribbon adorns it, Alex assumed it was from Elena and Nikhita. The last present was messily wrapped with candy red paper. Alex examined the present and slowly peeled away the outside. Inside was a bumblebee yellow sweater with a large black “A.” 

Alex furrowed his eyebrows; he had no idea who would give him a sweater for Christmas. He shrugged it off,

‘At least it’s pretty.’ 

He fumbled to put it on and sat down to admire the last remaining presents. He reached for his father’s gift and unwrapped it slowly. Inside was a small silver pendant, Alex looked for any open crevices and found a small place to put a photo. Alex placed it over his neck and moved to open Nikhita’s and Elena’s gift. He pulled the ribbon, and the box’s walls fell open. The present was a small journal with a Hufflepuff imprint; it seemed the journal unlocked based on a specific word or sentence. Alex reached for the last present.

Draco’s present was a book. Alex chuckled, of course, Draco knew what book he wanted. The book was called.‘Eternal Read.’ It gave anyone who read it stories they had never read before and got rid of it once they finished reading. It was cast a very powerful charm which is why there were only 500 books sold to the general public. Alex would make sure to thank Draco as soon as he sees him. 

Alex smiled into the sweater, the memory was distant, but he barely remembered celebrating Christmas with his mother once. She was always too overworked to celebrate Christmas every year. Whenever Alex proposed for her to have a day-off, she would brush it off and say Christmas wasn’t that special. Alex remembered the chill that wafted throughout Christmas, the heater seemed to consistently be broken specifically that day. Alex cuddled into his sweater at the thought, he enjoyed the warmth of Hogwarts more than anything. Christmas with his original father wasn’t that different from his original mother. He sometimes got a day off on Christmas but didn’t pay much attention to his son. Alex would open a present that he got from a distant cousin(Or was it a friend? Alex had trouble remembering.) and that would be the only present he got that holiday. 

Alex shrugged off the dark feeling, he had to hurry and go to Christmas Dinner. His stomach growled at the thought of food. The first-year stood up and placed the journal he got onto a nearby table before turning away and walking out of the common room. 

\----------

The book wasn’t kidding about the food. As soon as Alex stepped into the dining room, the large smell of turkey and potatoes made his stomach protest when he didn’t move towards the Hufflepuff table. Alex heard a roar from the Gryffindor corner, as he turned towards the table. Fred and George were showing off a new version of the wizard cracker which exploded backward and hit the user’s face. Percy was the twin’s main victim and Alex cackled at his angry face. (Alex didn’t have a good opinion on Percy since he would join the Ministry. 

“Alex!” Alex perked up at the voice and looked away from the twins to see Harry who was pointing to Ron. “You wanna sit with us?” Alex grinned and followed the Gryffindor’s toward the table. The table was filled with kids that were far too energetic after being stuffed with turkey. 

Alex counted 4 times that he had been kidnapped by Fred to help him bother Percy and had to be saved by Ron. “What is with his obsession with grabbing you?” Alex laughed against Ron’s shoulder, he had become very protective after the 3rd attempt. 

“I’m sure he’s only going to do this today.”

“You better be right…” Ron grumbled under his breath. 

“How do you like the sweater, Alex? Ron’s mom made it for you.” Alex turned towards the voice. Harry watched him with a peaceful expression. 

“Ron’s mom?” Alex turned back to Ron, who was still grumbling.

“I may have sent her a letter or two with your name on it, but I didn’t expect her to send a sweater.” 

“Well, make sure to thank her for me!” Ron glanced at Alex with a small smile. 

“Sure, do you wanna play chess with me?” Alex bobbed his head and moved towards the chess set with Harry following along.

\---

Alex had fallen asleep in Ron’s bed. He hadn’t meant to, but he was told it was fine by McGonagall. Alex opened his bleary eyes to see a moving shadow. 

“Who’s there?” Alex murmured into the darkness. 

“It’s me, Harry.” Alex felt a hand touch his shoulder. He looked up at the kind eyes that belonged to Harry and started to get up as well. “You don’t have to get up, It’s still night.” Alex shook his head and grabbed onto Harry’s sleeve.

“Where are you going?” The chosen one’s face turned guiltily as he held up a cloak.

“I was going to head for the Library to read up on Flamel.” Alex nodded in a daze, he remembered that part in the book.

“Let’s go then.” Alex stood and stretched leisurely as Harry watched, baffled.

“You’re going to come with me?” 

“Of course, I want to help as well. Two people can get more work done.” Harry seemed hesitant, but nodded along. 

“Come on then, let's get out before we wake the others.” Harry pulled the invisible cloak over his shoulders and looked towards Alex. They were halfway out the door before he realized. “You probably need to get under here as well.” Alex shuffled close to Harry to fit underneath the cloak.

-

The library was eerie at night, almost haunted. Alex was amazed at all the interesting books that were laying in the restricted sector. While Harry was fumbling through the books, Alex scoured for any interesting books. Suddenly, a large scream pierced the library as the book Harry was holding fell to the floor. 

“Close it!” Alex quickly whispered to Harry.

Harry slammed the book shut and sighed in relief. The footsteps of Filch came closer and closer before the old man was glaring at the bookshelf. Harry and Alex huddled closer while quickly moving to get out. The hallway stretched outward until Alex saw the familiar suit of armor. Alex turned to see Harry with a confused look as he scanned the armor. 

“You asked me to come directly-” Alex’s reflexes kicked in as he started to push Harry to the left. They both waited silently until the clatter of footsteps was heard walking by. 

“That was close. Thanks for that Alex.” Alex yawned while nodding.

“Do you know where we are? It looks like an unused classroom.” Harry nods, silently agreeing. Harry stares ahead as Alex listens silently near the door. 

“What is it, Harry?” Alex turns to where Harry is facing.

The mirror was gorgeous, Alex vaguely remembered the book description but he doubted it described the mirror fully. 

“It’s beautiful…” Harry comments quietly. He studied what he saw so Alex assumed he saw his parents.

‘ _ Didn’t he scream in the book?’ _

Alex finally stared fully into the mirror. In the mirror stood a boy with black eyes and blue eyes who looked almost exactly like Alex. He wasn’t Alex, he was older. The man in the mirror was gently smiling with his hand placed over his heart. Slowly from behind, a black figure rose behind the blue-eyed man and placed their hands over his shoulders. Two girls from the right side came running. One was with brown hair and brown eyes, the other with glasses and darker skin than the other. A glaring blonde-haired man slowly appeared next to the man and took the spot below the dark figure, crouching in an uncomfortable position on the floor.

Alex held back a breath, the site made him oddly reminiscent. It seemed as though the man was him, but the look in his eyes was filled with something Alex couldn’t describe. He wanted to touch the mirror, to be closer, and experience the warmth that was radiating off the group. 

Alex heard a gasp and words escape from Harry’s lips. A small tug at his sleeve pulled Alex out of his day-dream.

“Let us go back.” Alex nodded. The only thing you could hear from the boys was their breathing as they walked quickly down the hallway, both lost in their thoughts.

\---

“You could have woken me up,” said Ron who was looking very cross. 

“We didn’t want to disturb you, you kept muttering about food,” Alex responded nonchalantly. “Harry can take you there if he wants.”

“So does the mirror only show dead people? What did you see Alex?” Ron and Harry turned towards the Hufflepuff.

Alex changed the subject, “Did you find anything about Flamel?” 

Ron shook his head, “I looked in all of the books that mentioned Dumbledore but I couldn’t find any mention.”

‘ _ Did the information disappear because it was too early for them?’ _

“It’ll show up eventually, maybe you can try and squeeze more information out of Hagrid?” The conversation continued with only small comments from Harry.

\----

Alex didn’t pay any attention to Ron’s excitement about what he saw. He already knew that Ron wanted to be successful, so he wasn’t as interested. Alex did see the slouching figure of Harry as he sat down on the Gryffindor table. His eyes were glazed over, so Alex decided to leave him to his thoughts. 

\--

Harry came back the next day looking refreshed and Alex knew that it was his time to disappear. He would let Harry make his future while Alex controlled the strings from the background. Alex had a new focus going forward, being the man standing in the mirror.

  
  



	11. Neville Longbottom

Alex was naturally good at Herbology. He had suspected it was because he was a Hufflepuff, but at that point, it would be stereotyping. The only person he couldn’t compare to was Neville. Neville was surprisingly talented for someone who was so undermined during the story. To be fair, Alex hadn’t been paying attention much to Neville. He seemed to do whatever he wanted, only meekly talking to his friends once in a while. Alex’s perception of him is why he didn’t quite like him.

You see, Alex had a small competitive streak. (Though anyone else would tell you otherwise) While he tried to be calm on the outside, he was trying his best to surpass everyone. The idea of someone like Neville beating him in something as easy as Herbology gave Alex a disgusting feeling.

One day, in Herbology, Professor Sprout gave each student a total of 10 plants and was told to identify Dittany. It was tedious and boring work so Alex was bored throughout the whole class.

“Alex? Are you alright?” Alex gave a swift glance to Elena. 

“Ah… No, I’m fine. What did Dittany look like again?” Elena glanced down at the book.

“Both stem and leaves are dark green in colour. You can usually find flammable vipers surrounding the plant.” Alex groans at the description.

“Wow, so descriptive. It’s not like all the plants here are dark green.” Elena chuckles.

“At least the colors are more varied than muggle plants, almost all of them are green.” She was right, but he wasn’t good at gardening back then either. 

“I found one!” A small, squeaky voice perked up through the students. Alex looked over to see Neville carrying a plant that looked almost exactly the same as the rest. 

Professor Sprout clapped, “Good job, Neville. You can start inspecting now.” She turns away from the boy and towards the class. “Hurry up everyone! We wouldn’t want to take all day now.” 

Alex began sifting through the plants again, Elena starts to thread between hers. After a while, Alex finally came up with a solution.

“The best strategy would be to get rid of all the plants you’re certain it isn’t Dittany and then try to find it between those,” Alex whispered to himself.

“T-That may work here, but finding Dittany in wildlife won’t work like that.” Alex narrowed his eyes and turned back. “A-Ah I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

Alex grimaced, he was right. “Shouldn’t you be inspecting the Dittany?” Neville shook his head.

“I finished a while ago. I was wondering if you needed help…” The Hufflepuff let out a sigh. 

“That would be appreciated, Neville.” Neville’s face lit up and he walked over to the plants. 

He stared down at the plants while Alex waited patiently. “Dittany is a healing plant that is used to heal shallow wounds. The best option when looking for it is to pinch its stem until it starts to sting, you’re creating a small wound and the plant will automatically heal it.”

Alex nodded, “What happens if the plant I’m testing is poison?” 

“Poison is usually spread through the bloodstream, so if it doesn’t automatically heal the wound, wash it quickly.” 

“...You’re really smart, Neville.” A faint pink spreads through the boy’s skin.

“W-Well, I’m not really good at anything else so I wanted to study Herbology the best I could.” Alex nods in understanding.

“I’m sorry…”

“What are you apologizing for? Y-You didn’t do anything.” Alex chuckles awkwardly.

“I feel like I’ve been rude to you for no reason.” Neville stares at him with an awed expression.

“Of course you haven’t! You’re so cool and calm so I didn’t know how to approach you. It’s not your fault.” Cue Alex’s guilt.

“Hey, I’m normal, though I do appreciate the compliment.” Neville blush deepens. “How about we start over, I’m Alex.” Alex holds out his hand.

“A-Ah, I’m Neville!” Neville grabs Alex’s hand and drops the herbs he was holding in the other. 

“Let’s be friends, Neville.” He nods rapidly and starts to grab at the herbs. Alex bends down to help as he watches Neville fluster over the dirty plants. 

He reminds Alex of someone, though he can’t place his finger on it.

  
  



	12. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of time-skips in this chapter mostly because the ending of Harry Potter Book 1 is coming up. I am doing all 7 books for the story and I felt like I needed to clarify just in case.

Alex was tired. In the book, Dumbledore told Harry that the mirror drove men mad and he was starting to see the effects. While his goal was to be the man in the mirror, something felt odd when he was away. He had many questions like who was the black figure in the mirror? It didn’t seem to be Draco, since he was already in the image.

Alex sighed in quiet distress, not only did the mirror image haunt him in a way, but Harry was trying to find him. To be exact, Harry has always found him, Alex just hasn’t noticed his presence.

“Why are you ignoring Harry?” As blunt as ever, Nikhita sat across Alex with a smug smirk. “While it is funny, I think I’ll get a migraine from his nagging. He’s always asking why you’re mad at him.”

“Did Harry do something? Hermione has been saying she hasn’t seen you in the library either. Are you ignoring them both? “ Elena glances back and forth from the Gryffindor table to Alex.

“If you’re mad at Weasley, tell him. I’m about to strangle him." Draco continues eating his breakfast, a hint of worry was visible through his words.

Alex didn’t know whether to bang his head on a nearby wall or drown himself. Both sounded pleasing currently. He planned to ignore the Golden Trio but it seems they had different plans. The day he stopped trying to bond with them, they immediately bounced back to see if they did anything wrong. Don’t get Alex wrong, he loved them, more than he loved them in the book, they grew more into family every day. The problem was that they weren’t supposed to get attached, Alex didn’t want them to get attached.

He was never good with people. It was always, “If I do nothing with my life, I would be fine with that.” He didn’t have many friends, even during his school life, he had one or two and thought that was fine. After he graduated from High School, he was alone. Sure, he worked jobs, he had two. His coworkers were nice to him, but they never seemed to look at him kindly behind his back. Alex always imagined he would become a different person, perhaps that was why he fit in so well in a book. He had a fresh start. He imagined himself to be the popular guy, someone you would go to for advice and would enjoy spending time with. To sum up everything, Alex would rather imagine what to do with his life than do it.

“Hello? Earth to Alex?” Nikhita waved a hand across Alex’s face and his inner monologue stopped. 

“Sorry… I’m not mad at them. Just a bit tired.”

“That’s it? Are you sure you’re not sick?” Alex shakes his head at the concern.

“Do you think Hufflepuffs are going to win? If the Gryffindors win, they’ll play against the Slytherins.” The words silence the conversation at the Hufflepuff table after the strangers pass.

_ Ah… That match is coming up soon. That means the book will be ending soon.  _

“Gryffindors going to win.” Elena sighs as she stretches herself against the table.

“How do you know?” The girls chat back and forth. 

“They have Harry! Have you seen him practicing? He’s a natural.” Alex nods eagerly. 

“I can’t wait for you to see him, Nikhita! He’s amazing in the air.”

“Gosh, you’re such a fanboy,” Draco mutters, stabbing his pancake. Alex colors red and turns away from Draco. 

“I’m not going to Harry’s games,” Alex said grimly.

“Really? That’s odd, why not?” 

_ Why did Elena ask so many questions?  _

“I’m not feeling well, you can just tell me if the Gryffindors win.” The uneasy expression on Elena makes Alex feel guilty. Alex hesitates before slowly patting Elena. It was almost like patting away his nervousness.

The conversation eases away from the topic. Alex makes a point in the middle of the conversation to slip away. 

\---------

Alex ignored the groans from the common room, not even looking up from his book, he knew that the Gryffindors won. Any time now the trio would realize that Snape wasn’t the enemy, but Quirrell instead. The boy sighed and massaged his temple. The excitement of the plot continuing made Alex jittery. It was like watching a movie, but more realistic. 

\------

Exams were coming and the homework was exhausting. The reader expected nothing less. But, having already finished school once, doing more homework was draining his energy. He was dreading the OWLs in the future. You see, having magical homework is the same as having ‘regular’ homework but more new. Magic had more memorization and formulas than math. Potion-making was hell compared to his chemistry unit in High School. Even growing plants was disastrous compared to his AP History class. Alex wasn’t dumb at all, he grew throughout High School with A’s and occasional bs. The classes were as foreign to Alex as it was for muggle students. The books he read in his Father’s library were old-fashioned. They mentioned no new developments which made Alex relearn everything new.

“What are the properties of Norwegian Ridgeback dragon blood?” Alex muttered to himself. He looked back and forth between the book and his homework assignment. He hated these types of books, they didn’t tell you the answer, but instead gave hints of what the answer was. 

“There yer is Alex. I were lookin’ for that book yer have.” Alex glanced up at the familiar accent. 

“Oh, hello Hagrid, I was finishing up the book. Why do you want it.”

“Err, Jus’ lookin’” Alex shrugged off his behavior and handed him the book.

“You have fun with that.” 

Hagrid walked off with a goodbye and Alex left it at that. That was until Harry and Ron came up to him.

“Alex! Did Hagrid ask you about a dragon book?” The plan of ignoring them goes straight out the window. Alex hadn’t even known Harry and Ron were here!

“Yeah, he did. Why?”

“We think he has a pet dragon!” Ron rolls his eyes at Harry.

“You know it’s illegal to own a dragon right?” Alex’s migraine was coming back.

“We know, we’re going to ask him some questions. Do you want to join us?” Alex shakes his head, he had talked too much to the trio already.

Ron shrugged and grabbed Harry’s arm. Without looking back, Ron started pulling Harry out of the library, “We have to go quickly.”

Alex blinks slowly as the boys leave him stranded in the library. The quiet was ominous so he had decided to pack up. He strung his bag across his shoulder and walked out of the library.

\-----

Draco was smiling, that was never good. Alex gave a long side-eyed glance to the smug smirk on his face. With recent events, Draco must have seen the Dragon. Alex was curious to see it as well, It was a dragon after all! Imagine transporting to a magical world. If you have the opportunity to see a dragon, you would most likely take it.

Alex watched the week go by with both Draco’s dumb smirk and the Golden Trio disappearing at random. Alex tried not to fret over Ron’s double swelling hands or the way Draco keeps teasing him about the dragon. He tries not to listen in on the conversations that were far too loud to be secret. 

Alex wasn’t lonely per se, he was just bored. The girls seemed too busy helping each other with their homework. Draco was following Ron around like an angry dog so Alex didn't feel the need to disturb them. 

He was sitting on the floor, outside of the charms room. Everyone had gone to lunch so he finally had the peace he wanted.

Alex sighed dramatically, maybe he should make more friends. “Hey, Avery, what’s up with you?” Alex turned to the familiar voice of one of the twins.

“Ah…” Alex did a glance-over and tried to figure out which one it was. “Fred... right?” 

Fred laughed, “How’d you know? I thought George and I were pretty hard to tell apart.”

Alex shrugged, “It’s kinda obvious at this point, also George doesn’t call me Avery anymore.” 

“Eh? Well, I’ll change back to calling you, Alex.” The first-year groaned while Fred sat next to him. “So… What’s up with you? Ronny tells me you haven’t been talking to him.” 

“Can I not say?” Fred brought his knees towards his chest and laid his head against them.

“Is there a reason, at least?” 

“There is a reason, it just won’t make sense until it has happened.”

“I see~ What a mysterious person you are, Alex.” 

“I’m not that mysterious… I think I’m a pretty transparent person.” 

“I say otherwise, you always look like you have something on your mind. Not what a usual first-year would be like.” 

“What does a usual first-year look like?” 

Fred pauses for a moment, “Well… They all seem to be carefree. Since they don’t have to worry about exams and they are too young to date, their problems are small.” Alex nods faintly. Fred’s expression shifts to worry, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I don’t see why you’re so worried.” Fred avoids his eyes.

“I don’t get it either…”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Do you want to get anything to eat? You look like you didn’t bring anything from The Great Hall.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

Fred’s usual smile pops up and Alex sighs in relief. It was a pain having people worry about you. They slowly get up from the wall and walk towards the Grilled Cheese. Alex had a hard time catching up to Fred, but their conversation stayed relaxed.

“Come on, I think they’re serving grilled cheese.”

“Really? I thought they served that last week.”

“Maybe, I usually get the ham-cheese, so I wouldn’t know.”

Alex scrunches his nose up in disgust. “Ew, why do you like that?”

Fred mimics a face of offense, “My tastes are amazing, I don’t see what your problem is.”

Alex laughs at him. “Ah, thanks by the way.”

“Hm? For what?”

“For worrying, we don’t talk much so I was surprised.”

Fred glances to the side, “Let's change that then. We’ll talk more from now on.” 

Alex nods in agreement. Maybe he shouldn’t have eaten so many sweets, because Alex feels a soaring feeling of serotonin.

  
  



End file.
